The Mysterious Evil One: Traitorous Wars
by Black Fire2
Summary: The trilogy continues in the Mysterious Evil One: Traitorous Wars following the adventures of Michael as he finds his true destiny, though things on the planet of Firaciend are not the same. Dark days have come and war plagues the planet. The innocent are even forced to choose sides. No one is safe from peace and even more secrets of Michael true destiny are seemingly revealed.


**The Mysterious Evil One**

**Traitorous Wars**

**By Scott Elliott**

**Chapter 1**

**Dark Days (Part 2)**

Death... It seems like the worst thing that could ever happen to you. Well I didn't die when I should have. They say everything happens for a reason and if something is meant to happen then it will no matter what you do to try and stop it. All this I believed in but never understood until now. I remembered the explosion destroying T.E.T Corp, my last sight of the people in my life after the words "Bon Voyage" being said by a stranger in a hologram, the one who had kidnapped my one true love Adma. I still remember the 17 year old with her blonde hair tied back in a short pony tail, and that wonderful, beautiful face with the small gold earrings on both her ears. Not to mention her hazel eyes... only if she was here. Wait. Where exactly was here? I was in a familiar room where a golden path was lit up in front of me, leading up to a golden pyramid. There were also stairs leading even further up to a golden chair placed on the very top of the pyramid where the familiar 'Oracle' sat. I had been here before which made me feel safe, yet still confused. None of this made sense. I remembered this place from my last visit at Terros on the planet Terrashorm.

"Michael, you know about the ultimate power of the Evil One. Death is life. Life is death as love is hate, and hate is love. Balance is the key to the world." She said. As before, all I could see sitting in the chair was the Oracle's figure wearing a green cloak with a hood that almost covered her whole face. The sleeves along her arms were so long that they were covering her hands, leading to difficulty in knowing the colour of her skin. I took a couple of steps forward and spoke.

"What's going on? The Shadow lost and I failed in protecting Firaciend's cities, the city of Lafiraveind. What more can I do and how am I-"

"Clear your mind young T.E.O and the answer will come to you." She interrupted me before I could finish. I thought for a bit. Even in those many seconds, the answer still did not become clear. Nothing that has happened so far made sense and the Oracle wasn't helping at all.

"Just make my life flash before my eyes and get this nightmare done and over with." I said. Then it came to me.

"Adma..! I have to save her before it's over!"

The Oracle nodded her head and I took that as the correct answer. The next question was how. I stood there in front of the pyramid before it all turned to darkness and all that was left was...

"Michael!" A familiar voice yelled. Then silence returned.

Soon after, I suddenly woke up in a headache of pain. The first thing I saw was the roof of some old building. I sat up realising that I was in some sort of middle age bedroom chamber, lying in a large fiery coloured double bed. I looked under the red sheets at the sight of fiery coloured, linen long sleeved shirt and long pants over my tall, skinny body. It scared me a little bit. There was no bright light and this was no dream either. I immediately looked around the room along the red brick walls past the doorway with an open wooden door opposite the bed. There was also an oval shaped window on the right side of the room. The breeze of the wind was cold, though the sun shone strongly through it, making me feel warm. Outside of the window was a giant brick wall that was protecting the brick layered castle along with the small village with houses that were also made of brick within it.

"_Whoa, where am I?" _I thought to myself. My first thought was that somehow I had travelled back in time. I had learned about European history and the middle ages in school. I felt as though I was living it. I saw an old friend walk into the doorway. He was about the same height as me. His dark brown hair was of medium length and stayed out of the way of his blue eyes; the same eye colour as mine. My blonde hair was messy and over my eyes. The first thing I noticed on him was his clothes. He was wearing a fiery coloured, dark woollen top and pants with metal boots. A dragon symbol was printed on the front of he's top. He wore metal armour over the top of his clothing and also a sword pocket on the belt, connected to the waist strap. He looked like a real middle age knight. There was no sword inside the pocket.

"You're finally awake." He said, taking sight of me.

"Yeah Andrew, what's going on?" I asked, hoping to get a clear answer. He walked into the room to the left side of the bed and replied.

"Don't you remember? T.E.T Corp's destruction, Adma being taken by some stranger who was behind the attack and all of that?"

I looked back at him with a strange look on my face.

"What?" He asked. I did not look too happy. I was freaking out and he was not helping me at all.

"Of course I do but... how did I..? Here... Alive..?" I stuttered in utter confusion. He gave me the same look I gave him.

"What are you babbling on about Michael? Get it out before your mind explodes." He said. I laughed. He did not see what was funny. Then as another familiar friend, this time female, walked past the doorway. She also noticed I was awake, overhearing Andrew and my conversation. She walked up behind him, smiling at me. She looked no day over the age of 18, only being a few months older than me. She looked very dashing with her long dark brown hair hanging down the top of her back. Her hazel eyes stared straight, at me, though it seemed like they were staring right through me. The amazing thing was what she was wearing. It was a long fiery coloured dress going down to the red shoes on her feet, a small bright gold crown on her head, bracelets on both her arms and a silver necklace around her neck. I couldn't believe how beautiful she looked. I was always used to seeing her wearing a hooded jumper, jeans and sports shoes.

"Madeleine... Wow. What have I missed?" I asked in amazement. I hoped she would give me a better answer than the one Andrew had given

"It's Lady Madeleine Michael. All the girls are wearing this. It's like our formal middle age uniform or something. Now come on, get out of bed. You don't know what's happened, do you?"

"_Well obviously, seeing that I've been unconscious for a long time." _I thought, sarcastically. I did not think of saying it out loud. I looked at her strangely as she walked off out the door and turned left out of sight, completely ignoring it. I expected to not see her for another minute or so. She immediately returned to the doorway asking, "Well, are you going to come?" in which I kindly replied, "Yeah, I just need to get changed... Can I have some privacy please?"

Andrew and Madeleine walked out, closed my bedroom chamber door and waited outside my room. I got out of bed, walked over to my wardrobe where I found a few linen tops, bottoms, shoes and cloaks inside it, including my cloak recently given to me by Buhn and Sam. To my surprise I saw armour as well; metal chest armour, leggings and a golden crown. I picked up the armour plating and felt its weight. It was pretty heavy and I wondered how anyone could possibly wear such a thing. Put it back and dressed out of my old ruddy middle age pyjama clothes and dressed into the black clothes before noticing one more thing in the wardrobe... a wooden sceptre.

"Whoa." I said, staring straight at this long stick, my eyes not blinking once.

"What is it Michael?" Andrew asked from outside the door. Both he and Madeleine had heard me. I had frozen at the sight of a magic sceptre that was mine for sure. I do not know how I knew it was a sceptre; it was more of just a total guess. Andrew repeated his question and I came to my senses.

"Come in here, both of you. You've got to see this."

Both Andrew and Madeleine barged in at once as I held the sceptre horizontally in my hands in front of my waist as I stared down at it. They both did the same.

"Is that what I think it is?" Andrew asked. I nodded. I put it back where I found it which was at the right side of the inside of the wardrobe. I then turned to them and the three of us left my bedroom chamber and followed Madeleine and Andrew to the throne room to catch up with everyone else. We journeyed through corridor after corridor, not saying a word to one another for a few minutes. The place was a maze. I wondered if I would ever be able to get back to the bedroom chamber easily. I was even more surprised that Andrew and Madeleine knew where to go. WE walked through the tall, quite narrow corridors past doorways that led to other locations of the castle. It felt safe being with two of my best friends and I trusted they knew which way to go. We passed through many different doors into the different torch lit corridors until finally we had made it. Two Frierursh guards stood at each side of a double door. Andrew and Madeleine walked ahead and the guards opened the doors, revealing a large throne room. It looked very similar to T.E.T Corp. The red carpet through extended through the middle of the room, right up to the huge throne up the other end, quite far from the entrance itself. Three golden chairs sat along the throne, stationed in the centre of the room. The roof shot many metres above into a shadowed darkness; it was just like a magic roof. The differences to T.E.T Corp's throne room on the hand were the five large arch windows on both sides of the room instead of complete glass windows. Under them were Frierursh soldier guards in fiery dark armoured suits of colours red, orange and yellow with black cloaks over them. They held long, sharp, black spears. A line of them stood on both sides of the room, only expanding as far as the red carpet did. The dragon statues had disappeared. A part of me was a little worried. The three of us walked right along the red carpet, up to the throne where a man by the name of Pyroth and his daughter were sitting at the throne. Pyroth was sitting in the chair in the middle. It seemed like the largest chair as the other two chairs at each side of his were slightly lower. Lord Pyroth was leader of the Frierursh; a society part of the Lafiraveind kingdom. He was fiery in skin colour as he wore red and yellow linen clothing under the silver armour. He had a red cloak with the hood covering most of his face. His daughter, sitting in the seat left of him, Lyn, was about the same age as me and wore the same clothes as Madeleine and all the other girls that were as high classed as her and my friends. For the whole time I thought I had woken up the same time as everyone else, but that soon changed.

"It's finally good to see you Lord T.E.O after 11 long weeks." Pyroth welcomed me. T.E.O stood for The Evil One and was the name I was famously known for by my subjects.

"11 weeks? That's how long I've been out for?" I replied; half confused and half surprised. His welcome didn't help the fact I'd been unconscious for 11 weeks... 77 days... 2.48 months! It was unbelievable. All I could think of was what had happened in that time and if Adma was still alive.

"11 weeks..? Really; what has happened in that time?" I asked him. Even though he was the leader of Lafiraveind, I still ruled over him. I did not understand the position I held on Firaciend, but it was a high position nonetheless.

"We rebuilt, recolonised and survived against a dark force we supposedly believe dwells on the other side of this planet. They are the one who has Adma." Another voice answered from behind me. I turned around and saw Buhn Hido with Sam Numa along with third party, Drenacle Threon. It was so good to see them all, and that Buhn and Drenacle have finally become friends again. Buhn Hido was very tall; way taller than me, green in skin colour, somewhat bald with claw like hands had three eyes on his face above his nose in a triangle shape, a scar marked through the middle of his face and wore an open black hooded cloak, dark pants and a dark top under the cloak. His partner, Sam Numa, was the same high class him, a General, looked to be in his mid-forty's, had a medium build and was wearing a brown cloak covering his dark brown; almost maroon, coloured top and grey pants with the only one part of his clothing that was uncovered was his black shoes. He was human like my friends and I as well. The last man, Drenacle, was an old friend to them but a great new friend of mine. He kidnapped me for good reason, and then helped me find and rescue Adma from the clutches from the evil crime lord the Red Shroud. That's the only reason why I still befriended him. He had a red demon face with black markings on parts of it and red eyes. The thing that stood out most with him though was a scar across the right side of his cheek. He was wearing the same clothes as Sam. I wondered if Drenacle's men including Keisha and Brendan were also still with him.

"It's good to see you all here at the same time. Now down to business..." Pyroth said. There was a short silence which I broke.

"What's happened while I've been unconscious? Tell me everything."

Pyroth explained about how they were all woken up inside the castle of Lafiraveind and all they knew was as much as I did. That was 11 weeks ago and the new information came not long after.

"We've survived as best we can so far and no sign or word about Adma has come about Michael." Pyroth answered. Then Buhn added, "And Mark... ah..." He began stuttering. He could not finish his sentence. I saw this as bad news. I asked once again.

"Mark is... dead, unfortunately." Lyn said. She got out of her seat and walked down and stood next to Andrew. Pyroth gave a look of disbelief and amazement.

"Lyn darling, are you together with Sir Andrew?" He asked her, changing the subject. Everyone in the room looked straight at Lyn and Andrew, including me. They both just froze there in the sudden silence before it once again was broken.

"Andrew and Lyn are together!?" Kurt said, entering the room and catching the conversation. He was 17 years old of medium build, had blue eyes and long light brown, bushy, slightly mullet shaped hair. Peter also arrived with Kurt. Peter was 17 years old who had straight, blonde hair of medium length and blue eyes. They were both wearing the same clothes as Andrew. Two girls arrived with them; Becky and Caitie. Becky was 17 years old, had hazel eyes, and long straight hair tied back. Caitie on the other hand was 17 years old, had really long blonde hair going down lower than her shoulders and green eyes. We all turned our attention to them as they entered, then back to Lyn and Andrew shortly after who were as quiet as mice.

"Father, we umm didn't want to tell anyone but we've been seeing each other since the first couple of days the Evil One arrived at Firaciend... or not long after that really. He's a perfect gentleman and I really like him."

She ran off and left the lot of them stunned. Madeleine went after her as Pyroth stood up from his chair at once. He walked down from his throne until he was only a few steps away from Andrew. We all watched and waited for Pyroth's reaction, but none came. He stood there and spoke.

"Sir Mark perished after an assassin entered the kingdom, infiltrated the castle and decapitated him."

I froze in disbelief and could not believe as anyone in the room could, that such a thing as that could happen to him. I ignored my feeling of grief from this news and asked where his body was.

"Are you sure you'd want to see him? It's a devastating sight Michael." Andrew warned. "We're not certain, but Adma may have shared the same fate."

I ignored that too and ordered to be taken to see Mark's body. Buhn volunteered to take me. He led me through the maze of corridors down to the morgue or graveyard chamber. It was dark, dense and stunk like anything, but I could take it. He pointed to a dead body lying on his back on top of a tomb with no head; it was the body of a great friend who was 17 years old, had short dark brown hair and hazel eyes that sadly wasn't a part of him anymore. A tear dropped out of my eye and landed on my hand I placed on the corner of the tomb. The blood from his neck had all dried and as Andrew had said, it was a very devastating sight. I looked away from the body lying there. I turned to Buhn who was looking down at his feet.

"I'll find him Buhn. There's no way such an evil killer's getting away with this."

He looked up at me, his eyes widened.

"How will you though Michael? No one knows who this attacker is, let alone where he is." He assured me. I didn't listen, sticking to my own belief.

"As long as there is faith, there's hope." I said in great confidence. This sad occurrence wouldn't change that. Buhn looked at me strangely, but understood what I meant.

We left the grave chamber soon after and Buhn returned to the throne room. As for me, I left Buhn and returned to Mark's dead body. I examined it for any clues of his killer.

"Nothing," I said to myself. I was so annoyed. I could not find anything. Then in the corner of my eye, I saw a small piece of parchment in the left pocket of his pants. I opened it and read it. It said...

_ Lord T.E.O_

_ I see you found my note I left. Yes, I knew you'd be the one to find it. You're running out of time because she is still alive but won't be for long. Lord Frostbite knows what it will take for a rematch and this time you won't have your precious love to guide and protect you. Your friend's decapitation is just the beginning._

_ 'The Redempter'_

This shocked me. Anger passed through me all at the same time that I didn't realise the main point of the note.

"He has her... god damn it!"

I punched the air in my continuing anger, took the note and headed back to my room. I got a couple of corridors from my bedroom chamber where I ran into Andrew. He caught up with me to see how I was, now that I had seen the truth to Mark's demise. I told him I was fine. The sight was unbearable and one I had not wanted to ever witness. I tried to end the conversation quickly as he noticed the note in my left hand. I told him I was in a hurry and walked ahead. He stopped me in my tracks and asked what I had in my hand. Thinking on my feet, I said the first rational answer I could think of. A smile crossed his face.

"Don't tell her okay?"

Andrew nodded and let me pass. I hoped he didn't go and tell Madeleine that the parchment I had was a love letter to her. I'd feel like an idiot and who would I crash into next, but Madeleine.

"Hey." She said.

"Hey." I replied. At this point, I hoped for that to be it and to walk on. Now I was sounding like a jerk. This was not the time to dawn on that thought.

"What are you up to?" She asked, the word, 'are' extending longer than the other words in the sentence. It was not surprised of her saying that. She had said it so often at high school.

"Not much, just checking out..." The first word to cross my mind was "you" as in her, but I didn't say that luckily; instead... "...the view of the kingdom. It's amazing."

"Yeah..." she replied. A silence arrived and I took my chances and ditched her after a goodbye. I got a fair way from her before...

"Michael?"

I was so close. The bedroom chamber door was right there. Being the nice guy that I was, I froze and turned to her.

"Is that the love note in your hand that you told Andrew that you wrote for me?"

I paused and knew I'd get Andrew for this. Then I realised that she must have overheard me. She stared at me, waiting for an answer. I bailed on her and walked away but unfortunately she followed. I got to my room and closed the door behind me. I listened to hear if she was still at the door. The thing I could not figure out was what to do. I seemed like a bigger jerk now which was not a good feeling. I opened the door again and being aware of her presence outside my room, I pulled her into my room and closed the door again. She had no idea why I did such a thing until I showed her the note. She read it intently and then started questioning me.

"Where'd you find this? What does it mean? Who else knows about it?" and so on until she ran out of questions and I could answer all hundred of them.

"I found it in Mark's pants. Fortunately, I know, or well have an idea of where the killer may be. Unfortunately though, I believe he's on the other side of the planet and the answer to your other question, I haven't told anyone... well except for you really. I'm not sure if I will tell Pyroth or any of the others. I just know I have to..."

Realising one little detail I seemed to have missed. I ran out of my room and back to the throne room to Pyroth. Madeleine was left speechless in my room.

I finally made it to the throne room where I saw Pyroth speaking to two Shadow Ninja's. These men were covered in black, including their head and hands covered in black leather just like suits. They were as black as darkness itself which made only their red eyes visible. They, like the guards in the room held long, thin, cylinder, sharp spears in their left hand. I approached them and caught the end of their conversation.

"Thanks, I'll let him know, and keep an eye on anything out of the ordinary. Ah My Lord, it's good to see you." Pyroth said. The two Shadow Ninja's turned into shadow forms, sunk into the throne room floor and disappeared.

"Just the person I wanted to see. I have just received information about Mark's death." Pyroth continued. I kept the note hidden in my pocket; I didn't want him knowing what I had found at this very time, and listened to what he had to say instead.

"We believe the man who killed him was a man by the name of 'The Redempter'. He's known by that name because he always comes back and has never been caught or defeated."

"_I know that for god sakes Pyroth. Only if I told you what I know. Should I though? May he be able to help me; and what about the leaders of the Shadow?" _I thought. The Shadow, led by Buhn Hido and Sam Numa, was a secret clan inside Lafiraveind. It was a myth to everyone who wasn't a part of it. Their men were the freaky Shadow Soldiers and Shadow Ninja's. All of this was going through my head and I began to zone out of the world around me, ignoring and not or keeping track of what Pyroth was telling me. When he finished he noticed that I was not listening.

"My Lord, are you listening at all?" He asked. I came back to reality, and without thinking, I told him everything I knew.

"There was a note explaining it and Adma's still alive and-" I said quickly before I froze and put my hand over my mouth, stopping the words from coming out. I could not believe I said all of that without thinking first. Pyroth stared straight through me and asked me to repeat the sentence again and more slowly.

"Well..."

I took the note out and gave it to him. It was the best way to explain it. As Madeleine had done, he too examined it intently. Out of nowhere Buhn and Sam turned up. They did not just barge in through the door; they turned from black shadow forms in the ground, into their humanoid bodies. Pyroth turned to them and showed them the note. They did the same thing and looked back to me.

"Michael, where'd you find this?" Buhn asked.

"I found them in Mark's pants." I told them. I was told to leave so they could talk about it amongst themselves. In a bit of anger, I kindly did what they asked me to do, but not before I remembered the question I was going to ask in the first place.

"Where's Mark's head?"

"It's missing." Pyroth said.

**Chapter II**

**The Perfect Plan**

That night, in a dark fortress in the frozen ice of wasteland, located on the other side of Firaciend, a dark stranger in his large ice made chair glared out of his window of his ice covered throne room. A guard, looking to be the same type of alien to his leader, his body carved completely out of ice, walked through the large doors and up to the bottom of the stairway leading up to the throne.

"Lord Frostbite. We have had another intrusion My Lord." The guard said. Its eyes were bright white with armour on its head, chest, arms and legs that were bright silver. Frostbite looked down at him from his height.

"Who was it?" He asked. The guard cringed a little and spoke in low voice.

"Shadow Ninja's sir."

Frostbite laughed horridly.

"That's what they do? Send one of their grunts to do a knights job? That's pathetic."

The other guards in the room laughed with him along with the messenger.

"I think it's time to raise the stakes. Send another assassin and target another of the Evil One's high royalty." Frostbite ordered. "Now you, get out of my sight."

The guard left and messenger stayed

"I have more news my Lord." The messenger interrupted.

"I'm listening."

"We have finally found it. It is not far from here." The messenger said. Lord Frostbite smiled in delight.

"Excellent."

He ordered for the messenger to leave just as another dark stranger entered the throne room the two guards outside were thrown through the door and Frostbite did not budge on his throne. The stranger, armoured in complete black, not one part of his body able to be seen, walked toward the throne. The guards ran at him but he struck them down, leaving only him and Frostbite left. A young 17 year old teenage female prisoner sat at his feet. She was wearing only a short, light blue dress and had nothing covering her feet. She passed him some food as he looked down at this stranger, completely ignoring her.

"Lord Frostbite, I have returned. Your allies from the South Western Jornflest have made their way to Lafiraveind, as requested." He spoke. Frostbite gleamed at him with further delight.

"Perfect. They won't know what hit them." He laughed. As like before, him en laughed with him and the stranger left the throne room.

"Frostbite; are you sure they will not make a move after this move? I should kill her now and send her dead body back. Your plan is flawless and-"

"Redempter, if I wanted your advice I would have asked for it! The Evil One can't resist my ultimate bargain... her."

The girl spoke aloud.

"You won't... get away with... this... He won't fall... for your trap" She said, all freezing cold. Frostbite and everyone in the room laughed again.

"Adma, Adma, Adma. I have you and he cares about you. He will come and my revenge will be complete."

She looked at him in fear and thought of how bad of a situation she had once again fallen into. She struggled to break free but Grond, standing by Frostbite's right side, keeping her held tight.

"Take her back. I'll be down there soon." Frostbite said. Grond took Adma back down to the shadows of the frozen fortress as Frostbite's last words to himself were, "I love vengeance", and then followed Grond to do what I thought they were going to do; torture Adma or something along those lines. She yelled in the darkness as a storm grew outside the ice fortress. I suddenly woke with a fright in my bed; my breath heavy as anything. The two guards barged through the door at once.

"Are you alright My Lord?" One of them asked while they both secured the room, making sure it was safe.

"Yeah, just a nightmare... I'm going out for a walk." I replied as I got out of bed, walked out into the hallway and headed down through the dimly torch lit corridor. It was as I thought; Adma's still alive and Frostbite-

"Lord T.E.O, what are you doing up?" Someone asked from behind me. I turned around and saw him; the man who had Adma captive. I shot a fire ball right through his frozen ice chest and he fell to the ground at my feet. The corridor turned in circles and I immediately woke up once more. My heart was beating and my head hurt.

"_That was strange." _I thought as I came to my senses. I was very confused, dizzy and tired, though I could not forget about it. It was lodged in my mind and bothered me so much. Two Shadow Ninja's turned up in my room and checked that the room was safe.

"It's clear sir." One said. The door opened and Sam entered. He didn't have a happy look on his face and it looked like he was staring straight through me. I asked him why he was here. He stayed quiet with his head down. I began to feel something strange, like someone was in my mind. I began to see my dream, or well nightmare again which was like torture. I just thought it was still in my head and annoying me like an ant crawling all over my body. After a couple of seconds, the feeling disappeared. Sam looked up at me and walked out without a word. The Shadow Ninja's following him and the door closed again.

First thing the next day, I went to see Sam. I looked all over the kingdom for him but had no luck. The strangest thing was Sam coming into my room last night, then disappearing off the face of Firaciend. Seeing that I could not find him within the castle walls, I decided to try the village. In my search, I came across Madeleine walking through one of the streets.

"Hey Michael, have you seen Drenacle at all?" She asked, coming up to speak to me. I shook my head, and she told me how all the leaders of the kingdom were missing and she had not seen any of them since the night before. I got a little suspicious in the busy street and felt it'd be safer to go back to the castle. My hunch was right. I looked around the street and saw the many innocent civilians walk past... all except for one. A hooded man ran through the crowd at Madeleine with a knife and tried to assassinate her. As I saw the blade, I pushed her to the ground and out of the way, causing him to miss his chance. He looked from her to me as the crowd around screamed and fled. The street became deserted in seconds. Shadow Ninja's immediately came out of nowhere and grabbed the assassin's arms. I helped Madeleine to her feet. She was bruised in a couple of places but lucky to be alive.

"This man tried to kill me!" She yelled. I let go of her and she ran off back up to the castle. The man laughed in an evil tone. I looked at him with anger.

"Who are you?" I asked. He stayed quiet. Seeing that he would not talk I ordered the Shadow Ninjas to take him to the dungeons up at the castle. He broke free from their grip, kicked both into the food stalls at each side of the street and ran. Trying with all of my strength, I chased him through the frightened crowed, narrow streets and along the ash terrain. He turned street through street until he made a mistake in being led to a dead end.

"You have nowhere to go. Now tell me, who's Frostbite?"

He stared back at me in no fear whatsoever. I didn't understand why he wasn't afraid. He went to grab something in his back pocket in which I shot a blast of red energy at him. He dodged it then suddenly threw a sharp dagger at me, barely missing me by a centimetre or so. He stared back and grabbed another knife that he threw at my left foot. I jumped up to dodge it where he skilfully slid under me, grabbed the knife and took off again. The chase started all over again, that was if I did not lose him. Catching my breath, I sat down in my defeat and returned to the castle when I felt strong enough to. When I got to the castle entrance, Madeleine was there with Andrew and the others. I told them what happened. Then the guilt trip came.

"You lost him? How could you lose him Michael?" Andrew said as soon as he saw me. I felt bad enough but knew the assassin could not have gotten far.

"I almost had him but I was... outsmarted. What's going on now?" I asked while still catching my breath a little. We got back to the throne room where the leaders of the Frierursh and Shadow were meeting. We caught their conversation.

"This attack on Lady Madeleine is just the beginning. If we don't act now we may be too late to-"

They went quiet once they saw us. The first thing I informed them of was what happened between the assassin and me. I explained how the assassin got away and they told me what they had come up with. My friends left me with them and the meeting went from there. I asked a lot of questions and found out that the kingdom had been locked down and the hunt for the assassin had begun.

"Good. Are the others safe in the castle?"

There came a scream from outside the throne room and we all rushed out to find out what happened. Just outside the throne room was a woman who looked to be a servant of the kingdom with her red clothing of linen dress and pheasant look. Her brown hair tied back in a ponytail was quite dirty. There was a young man wearing a long linen mantle and shoes of the same red of the woman's clothing, holding a male bloody body in his arms with stab wounds in different parts of his body. I could tell in the woman's blue eyes that she was scared to death as the young man was about to lay the body in the doorway. He was told to bring it into the throne room instead. Everyone walked back in, the doors were closed and the body was laid on the floor.

"What happened to him?" Pyroth asked the woman. She stayed quiet; too terrified to speak. I examined the body from a distance so no one knew what I was doing. I noticed the stab wounds were in three parts of the chest with four around them that could make up a diamond shape. It interested me. It was strange to see them in such a way and it got me suspicious... very suspicious. The young man mentioned how he came home back from his work selling food where the next door neighbour screamed from a dead body in her house. After hearing about the assassination attempt, he brought it to the castle straight away. I was hardly listening and headed to the knights barracks south of the kingdom to see if my hunch was right.

In the meantime, all of my friends were safe and hidden as they were guarded by the Shadow. Madeleine had not said a word since. She was left terrified. News had also arrived that Barry had fled the kingdom, fearing he would be next. As for Toby, he had been missing since Mark's assassination. They were not the only one fearing that death.

"I can't believe you were almost killed... I just can't believe it at all. I wonder if Michael's alright." Becky said. She was shaken up from the event but happy that it was not her. Caitie stayed by Madeleine's side. A couple of tears came out of Madeleine's eyes as she looked up at everyone else. The six of them were accommodated in a cosy room under the kingdom. It was a sort of magic room where anything they wanted appeared, from the future of the current era. Buhn joined them for they were safe and sound in a secret underground base where no one could find them... only the people who knew where it was.

"The perpetrator is being searched for and unfortunately a man has been murdered. Michael is-"

"Safe and sound but he may let his anger get in the way and go after the assassin himself." Andrew interrupted Buhn before he could tell them himself. Everyone was relieved to hear that I was alright. The last part of Andrew's words worried them. The thing was that they knew me very well and knew I would get revenge against the person who almost killed my best friend. I had other matters to worry about though. I had collected a map of Firaciend and returned to my bedroom chamber with the picture of where the stab wounds were on the dead body in my head. I connected it with the map. I got a small feather quill out of my wooden cupboard next to my bedside with ink and put the dots on the map where I felt they were on the victim's body, trying to be as accurate as possible. The dots looked like they made a diamond shape outside the other three inside dots. Examining it afterwards, I saw they were put in the coordinates of three kingdoms in the Frozen-Ice on the other side of Firaciend.

"It looks like my hunch was right." I said to myself just before Buhn interrupted me.

"Sorry My Lord, it's just that we thought you... went after the assassin, or were going to. Just to let you know, your friends are safe in a secured and secret area. It would be best if you joined them, just for your safety." He said. I thought about Buhn's proposal and rejected it. He looked down near where my hand was and I moved my work under my left leg to hide it. He looked back up at me.

"Just let me know when you want to..." He began as he turned to walk out, but before he was out of sight he finished with "... and when you're ready to show us what you've found out as well."

I froze and wondered how he knew what I was up to, or if he was just guessing.

Days went by and the kingdom was safe with no word of the assassin, let alone anymore murders. Unluckily, it meant he had possibly escaped. Little did we know; it was not the end. I met with the Frierursh and shared my findings in their meeting along with my plan of action. The Frierursh Council were not sure about my plan. They did not feel that it was much of an effective or possible plan and in their agreement, denied it. I put my head down in disappointment when Pyroth spoke.

"Michael we-"

He was interrupted by a man who burst in, ran up to Pyroth, and whispered something in his ear. The man looked to be Pyroth's right hand man with fiery coloured skin, was a bit shorter than the guards and wore a red tunic.

"Thanks Blaze." Pyroth said. He then ended the meeting and got me to follow him and Blaze down to the dungeons. I had no idea what was going on and felt confused through my unrest in the hunt for the assassin.

"Michael, we seemed to have gotten word from an anonymous civilian about the assassin. He's down here." Pyroth explained. My hope returned and I could not wait to finally get my arms around that cold hearted man's neck. We travelled deep into the castle, down to the darkest and stuffiest part of the kingdom. In an open area inside a type of cave were many jail cells. Most had different skinned coloured people in them in dirty clothes. They looked sad and I could not stand the sight of them. We continued to walk further until we got to a cell with an elderly man inside it. He did not look as bad as the others which led me to believe he had not been in there as long as the other bad men had. He was dressed in a pretty dirty mantle and sat on a seat inside the cell. He was shaking with fear.

"Is this him?" I asked. Pyroth nodded. The cell door was opened by a guard and I walked in to talk to the man, thinking he was the assassin. As my anger returned, I looked to Blaze and then began questioning the man.

"Do you know who I am?" I asked him.

The man nodded and spoke.

"I am, Henry Darsden My... My Lord, please, I came here to tell you what I know about the assassin you're after..."

His words confused me. I looked back to Pyroth.

"Isn't this the assassin?"

He shook his head. I felt like such an idiot. My next thought was, "_Why is this innocent civilian in a jail cell for_?"

I ordered him to be freed and we returned to a better part of the castle; the throne room. On the way I spoke with Henry about what he knew. He told me that the assassin met with him as he was a blacksmith.

"He asked me to make some daggers for him and paid me gallantly. I did it for him as a bargain, right after I caught him killing a civilian outside my shop. He disappeared and I told the castle guards about it. That was the last I saw of him."

I saw that these matters were getting worse so I did the only rational thing. Returning to the village, I presented myself as the perfect target. Unfortunately it was a stupid plan though.

_"Come on... come on, show yourself."_ I said to myself as I entered a dark alleyway. I looked at the other end and caught sight of a figure. It was a hooded stranger facing the opposite way to me.

"You're a fool T.E.O. Who are you kidding? My master is more powerful than you, and this round I won't back down."

He turned around and at the same time threw a sharp dagger at me that I dodged again. My next move was costly as I shot a fire blast at him which he dodged. My anger began to surface again and I ran at him. The fight turned into hand to hand combat. We punched and kicked each other, trying to win, but we were too good for each other. As I figured from an evil assassin, he began to cheat. The fight continued and word got back to the castle. At that time, we were both worn out and resting opposite each other.

"You're strong T.E.O. Thank you for showing me that. My master will be pleased." He said.

"Who is your master?" I asked him. He laughed, but my plan was going perfectly. Silence fell upon us both and he didn't answer my question.

"Tell me. Who are you working for?"

He looked back at me and a smile crossed his face under the hood. This was going more well than any of my older plans ever had.

"You think I came here to spill my guts and tell you everything? He wants what you have. Time is running-"

A dark shadow grabbed him by his legs and pulled him into the ground. Buhn appeared behind me with five Shadow Ninja's.

"You're going to talk whether you cooperate or not." I told the assassin, now that I finally had him. He laughed as he was carried back up to the castle and down to the dungeons. I followed them there and made sure he didn't escape again. He was kept there and was fearfully tortured until he finally cracked.

"Okay, okay. I'll talk!" He yelled. I didn't realise how much I didn't care about what was being done to him. But once he gave in I ordered the Shadow Ninja's to stop punching him and let him speak. I was so full of anger I had lost all mercy for him.

"Who are you?"

"Vertro... Vertro Kooler, also known as the 'Inceptor'..." He said in fear. I continued the interrogation.

"What are you doing in Lafiraveind?"

He went quiet again and I was beginning to lose patience. He looked down in shame and explained.

"You're not listening... You're running out of time. One week and your loved one will be gone. He's losing patience and wants to get it done and over with T.E.O. You don't know who you're messing with." He laughed. I lost control of my good sense and strangled him by the neck until the guards threw me off. He cowered in fear as I stared back at him. I realised then that no guard touched me. Andrew and Kurt were the ones who both pulled me away. I breathed slowly as both mine and Vertro's eyes met. Kurt and Andrew took me back upstairs and let me cool down.

"He knows who has her. I want to know!" I yelled.

"Calm down Michael. We will get it out of him, I promise you. We'll find her." Andrew said softly. I began to breathe slower and easier. I still wanted him to tell me everything. I almost got it out of him. I told them this.

"No Michael, you didn't. You almost killed him." Kurt said strongly. He was absolutely correct. Ever since the first attack and the news of the many murders, I had lost myself. Andrew and Kurt led me to see this.

Later, good news had finally come. The interrogators, along with Buhn, Sam and Drenacle all learned that Adma was the prisoner of a man called Lord Frostbite and I was the one they were after. All of that I already knew. In the meantime, another meeting had come to order and my plan had been revised.

"Lord T.E.O. We have come to a decision and we know what you have to do. A small army will escort you to the docks with any company who wish to come along first thing tomorrow." Pyroth said. I was relieved to hear this as he continued. "...You will take a ship along the Southern Lava Ocean to a kingdom ruled by a good friend of ours who is willing to help. From there, pass through the Black Mountains here and look for a sign from our men who will meet with you on the other side." Pyroth informed me as he pointed to each location on a map. He showed as he explained further. "...We will go from there and it will be four days from now when we shall meet on the other side of the Black Mountains."

I nodded in agreement and went to see the others to tell them what I was going to do. They were not sure about any of, reminding me of the Frierursh Council's original reaction.

"You're crazy Michael. There's absolutely no way you would survive even till then." Peter said. The others agreed. I tried to explain what this meant to me and how much I wanted all of my best friends to be a part of it. They had come this far with me. What was the harm in following me to the end? A lot of argument followed until eventually they agreed to be at my side when I take the biggest risk of my life. What I never expected was that I was about to have more help than I thought.

In the dead of night, a dark ship made of metal arrived across the lava waves and landed at the Lafiraveind docks, south of the kingdom itself. A stranger wearing a black helmet with holes for the eyes and mouth walked down the ramp onto the docks. He wore a black top, bottoms, shoes, and cape while being covered in shiny armour. Two of he's guards walked by his side. They were more armoured than him but looked similar as they were also covered in black.

"Lord Pyroth, 'the Black Knight' has come wanting to see Lord T.E.O. He turned up at the docks and wishes to meet him now."

Pyroth's eyes widened and ordered for the Black Knight to be arrested and wait for his arrival. He then followed Blaze down to the docks to meet this Black Knight. Once there, the Black Knight stood on the metal platform as he waited, expecting to see me but got something different. Pyroth walked down the path and saw the Black Knight.

"What are you doing here Black Knight? You have never been welcome here after we heard of your murders and mercilessness, and you will not kill Lord T.E.O."

He stared back and laughed.

"I see word gets around quick. I have become an infamous and deadly person Pyroth. I heard Lord T.E.O has finally awoken. Get out of my way or lose more than you can survive with." He said, threateningly. Pyroth's men surrounded him and he stood there, before whispering something under his breath. At that, more of his men left his ship and surrounded Pyroth's men with their sharp long swords pointed at Pyroth's men.

"Enough!" A voice yelled in the distance. It was me. I had heard about the arrival of this Black Knight and felt I was the one who would create peace before an unwanted war broke out.

**Chapter III**

**An Unexpected Visitor**

A little bit of fear began to pass through me and I felt like I was about to regret my right doing. The stranger looked from Pyroth and up to me as I made my way down along the path toward the group of them. They waited for me to get to them before Pyroth protected me.

"If you're after him, then you'll have to go through a lot of strong and loyal men to get to him." He said. I walked around Pyroth and up to the Black Knight. Pyroth tried to grab me but was stopped by the Shadow Ninja's. He watched in fear as I questioned this Black Knight whom was about the same height as me as me.

"What do you want?" I asked him. Without another word, he removed his black helmet his helmet and everyone around gasped at the sight of a young teenage man. He had long blonde hair almost covering his face with the rest of it sticking up. He also had blue eyes. They looked at him in amazement.

"Hey Michael, it's finally good to see you after 11 weeks." John; my twin brother said. I couldn't believe he was some dark, dangerous and deadly killer with his own men and warship. I ordered Pyroth's guards to move away from him. He was not and would never be an enemy of mine.

"John... I can't believe it's you. I... I just never thought of you. Sorry, I've just had all this other stuff bothering me. Mark is dead and-"

He shut me up before I could finish and told me his story as we returned to the castle. I never wondered where he was the whole time! It was like I had forgotten him completely. I felt bad for it but understood why I did forget about my own twin brother in the first place.

"Once I awoke in Lafiraveind, I left the kingdom and got a crew and ship and sailed around the planet. Once I heard you had finally awoken I came back and well, here I am." John explained. It was good to have him back. We returned to the throne room and John debriefed us about the latest events happening, from broken out wars to the amazing sights I could just dream to see. The way he was dressed looked familiar. I could not figure out why. It was the sort of familiarity that I had seen him before. I told myself I was being ridiculous. Morning soon arrived in the next few hours. We had breakfast at the long tables in the throne room that had been brought inside and set up behind Lord Pyroth's throne. I informed John of my plan to get Adma back and he agreed to be the captain of the ship we'd use to get through the pass to the Forest-Jungle region.

"I've been all over Firaciend Michael; raiding places, smuggling goods and being my own assassin... getting money for it all too. Although, these great times are harsher than you know. You know all the terrible things about the Middle Ages we learned at school... we are in those times." He warned me, but I knew that anyway. The Fellas; Kurt, Peter, and Andrew walked in to join us. Mark is a part of the Fellas too, but of course he was not there. They noticed John and were as surprised as much as when I was on first seeing him.

"We thought you were dead just like Mark. How did you get here, where did you go? What are you doing here?" Kurt asked in confusion. They sat with us except for Andrew who went and talked to Lyn. We all watched and hoped she would walk away from him. But he saw something different. They sat further down the table and talked with each other.

"Did I miss something?" John asked, sounding a little sarcastic. We all looked back and told John how Pyroth found out about them going out with each other and now the whole kingdom knows. He stared back in amazement. We all nodded in agreement to make him see we were not lying to him. Caitie, Madeleine, and Becky were the next to turn up and they too could not believe their eyes as they saw John sitting and talking with the Fellas and me. They sat down at the table on the other side of the room. I left the Fellas and John and joined them instead, only going over there to talk to Madeleine mostly. The three of them were too busy staring at John to realise I was heading over.

"Morning," I said. None of them replied. I repeated myself and finally got a reply from them, before they started asking questions about John's triumphant return.

"What's he back for?" Caitie was the first to ask. I told them everything that he told the Fellas and me which brought a question from Madeleine.

"Seeing also that he's been all over Firaciend, does that mean he has information about Adma and the people who had taken her?"

That was a good point and one I had never thought to ask. John got out of his seat and began to walk off out of the throne room. I went after him.

"Hey John, wait up."

He kept walking and ignored me. I caught up with him and started asking questions about Adma. He still ignored me and I didn't understand why. We got to the one of the many courtyards and he finally stopped but still said no word. Buhn arrived, interrupting my constant questioning. He asked me to leave so he and John could talk in private. I did so, hoping that he would tell me sooner or later. I decided to hang around with the Fellas. I found them walking though the kingdom streets just outside the castle itself. It kind of helped get things off of my mind, though I was still worried about Adma. It would have been excellent to have Steve here right now. He would be able to help me. Steve was the chaplain at my high school back before I went into space on a grand adventure, losing my girlfriend, best friend and my life turning in circles back in the Middle Ages. My head was; and how it had been since my first day in this nightmare, in circles as well. I was quiet and in my own little world as I walked around with the Fellas.

"Look, there's a church. Michael, Michael... Are you still with us?" Kurt asked me. I came to my senses and looked him in the eye.

"Yeah..." I said in a small sigh. I looked around the three of them as they stared back. They could tell something was wrong with me.

"Seriously, what's wrong? Is it because Adma's not here?" Peter asked. A silence fell and I made my move. I told them I would see them later and walked off. They were left in confusion and wonder. As I always did, I walked away fast and kept walking fast from how annoyed and frustrated I was.

My walk went for about half a mile through the town before John unknowingly came up from behind me. I was in my own world, wondering why he would not talk to me.

"Hey bro,"

I turned and got scare. I wasn't happy with him for the fact he was keeping something from me. I guess it was payback for all the secrets I kept from him, although he did not care about those.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you straight away, but I know where Adma is."

I became a little relieved but I knew there, as there always is, is a 'but' to it. John explained on one of his trips along the seas and oceans, he made his way to do a contract for a man by the name of Lord Frostbite. As soon as I heard that I realised where I had seen the Black Knight... in my dream, in the frozen fortress. He saw her and did nothing. I pushed him up against the building wall, yelling at him.

"Of course I didn't. No one knew my true identity, until now. A messenger came to me when I was staying in Pakolia too." He explained, while trying to catch his breath. I let him go and apologised for grabbing him like that. We kept walking as he continued. We got just outside an alleyway and he paused. He quickly changed the subject, answering my original question.

"...I saw Adma as his prisoner there, and from what I saw, she won't or wouldn't have lasted this long. I'm sorry, but hardly wearing anything in a frozen ice land... harsh condition to survive in."

He then asked me how I knew he had seen Adma. I lied and told him it was just a lucky guess. He would not have believed me if I told him that I dreamed the whole thing. That impossibility would not go far with him. With that memory back, my anger came back with it. I had to let it out. I returned to the dungeon to Vertro to finish him. John followed me back to the castle, down the numerous corridors and right down to the dungeons. The guards moved out of the way and allowed me to open the cell door. I grabbed Vertro by the throat and punched over and over. He screamed in pain as I belted him again before I finally stopped. He looked at me in fear; his eyes widened, throat bloody. I too had blood over me. I looked down at it all over me, realising what I had become. He spat blood out of his mouth onto the ground. I stared at him. The guards looked at me and knew I did not care about anything except for this... this murderous man killed. John had warned everyone and by the time Sam there, he was the first the sight of the blooded Vertro. He opened the cell door and pulled me away from him even though he knew he was too late. He was at least glad that I had not finished the job. Vertro was terrified. I thought his left was a 'worthless life'. I walked out and returned to my bedroom chamber to cool down once again. I was in a mess from which I could not escape. The Evil One had been unleashed and I could feel a power that I felt would soon explode.

"What's going on with me? I almost killed Vertro and had no fear in doing so, let alone caring about him. Oh, what am I becoming?" I said to myself, trying to get to the cause of it all. Then it hit me. Adma and Mark; they were both gone and I could not change what happened. At least a part of my mind was still normal and not all over the place where I had felt it to be. John turned up with the Fellas to see how I was. I kept quiet which I found to be a bad thing. They kept questioning me until I gave in at last.

"I don't care about him okay!" I yelled. "I just don't. If it was him who was responsible for Mark not being alive anymore and Adma being Frostbite's prisoner and supposably dead; then riddens to him! I hope he dies and has a thousand regrets!"

They all looked at me. None of them had seen me like this. I stared straight through them; my anger beginning to return once more. They left and let me be... all except for Andrew.

"Michael, don't take your anger out on the ones that don't matter. Yes, he probably did kill them but it's not him you should be mad at. Frostbite... Frostbite's the one who is responsible for all that has happened."

I breathed deeply as I listened. He was right. It was just that I knew I could not keep my anger bottled up until I faced my ultimate arch enemy. I had to take it out on someone, and it was mere luck that there was a man of my arch enemy in Lafiraveind of easy reach to take my anger out on. Nonetheless, I knew I was becoming a ruthless person through all this and part of me, along with my closest friends did not like it. All I had to do was forget about it until the time came when I would be able to act; whenever that would be.

Two days slowly passed and the council's decision was final. The Fellas, girls; including Lyn, the Black Knight and I met with the Frierursh that morning. They were grouped together and bowed to all of us as we entered the throne room. Buhn, Sam and Drenacle were also there to see us as Pyroth; up at his chair, greeted us.

"We have good news and bad news. The good news is that the Black Knight confirmed that you are all set and plans are going very well. Blaze will meet you at Flarsheroth. He has sent us word that..."

He paused for a bit and the room was silent. I waited for him to answer while keep my patience. He looked around the group as they looked back at him. He finally continued.

"... There is a war coming, My Lord."

I froze and all of my friends, especially the girls gasped.

"The leader of Pakolia has heard word of Lord T.E.O's awakening and is afraid it means something terrible. They'll be here in three days." One of the councillors said. He had red skin with a fiery coloured tunic over him, looking quite similar to Blaze's. I saw the look on John's face. He was neither amazed nor worried of this news and it made me realise.

"You knew about this!?" I yelled at him. He looked away and the room's attention was drawn to us. He began to walk out but I ordered the guards to stop him before he could get away. I was not happy with him and even less happy about the fact that he tried to get away. He turned and faced us.

"I had a choice Michael... I could have done what I was payed to do or lose everything along with everyone here, okay? I was payed to tell the leader of Pakolia to attack. I warned you as well."

I let him go but was still annoyed that he never mentioned this when he first got here. The one thing I didn't understand was how much harsher these days were and if that were true, then why were they still coming to attack Lafiraveind themselves. We got a battle plan ready and set up for the ultimate and only war I had ever been in. I headed to the barracks to meet with Pyroth and his men. The war room was quite large. Many tables and chairs the colour of fire laid around the room. I saw John and the Fellas and went over to them. Pyroth went through the plan with them, this being the second time I had heard it. I listened anyway, making sure I understood it completely. By lunch, the civilians had been informed of the impending attack where some fled while they still could. Others stayed and did what they could to help. The streets soon emptied and the kingdom became a ghost town over the next couple of days. By the third day, the army of Pakolia had not arrived. The council feared they had been tricked. I was not willing to take any chances. I ordered for things to go as planned. We were all armoured up and as morning came we waited to see sight of them. John came to my bedroom chamber as I was getting ready and putting on my armour.

"Michael, I saw you weren't amazed when I told you about how I saw Adma. You somehow knew that she was there."

I looked at him and a tear came out my eye. I was afraid I would die on this day. He stared back and waited for me to explain and answer his question.

"I had a vision not that long ago. I saw her, him and a man by the name of Yeko Grond." I said. "They've been doing terrible and unspeakable things to her."

I saw his reaction and realised he knew more than I had. I saw a small part of sadness in his eyes. He knew they had been doing bad things to her. I asked him to leave right then, too annoyed that he didn't help her.

"I did what I had to do to keep myself alive... but I did watch them torture her so many times... Frostbite's completely evil and my infiltration made me see unspeakable things you wouldn't dare think of, including what they've been doing to her. If I could I would've saved her and brought her back here. You know that."

He walked out but before I saw him no more I said, "You've been double crossed." He nodded his head in agreement and disappeared. My head was still in a mess and none of this was helping. I told myself not to think about it and to concentrate on the war that lied ahead. I knew that John was still keeping something from me and no matter how much I tried to forget it, I just could not. I grabbed my sceptre and left to meet with the others on the castle wall. Before I left though, a Frierursh soldier arrived.

"My Lord, Lord Pyroth wants to see you in the throne room." They said. They walked straight off down the corridor. They looked to be in a hurry. I headed straight to the throne room. My mind was clear and when I arrived, Pyroth was going through some last minute operations.

"Our men are set up along the wall. There's no way they will be able to get through our defences with the help of our allies." Pyroth said. He moved aside and I saw an old friend... Liam. It was a surprise from seeing him and I could not believe my eyes. I was expecting to see the Red Shroud with him but it was only him; a bald demon male creature that looked to be in his twenties in a red tunic cloak over a red linen top and pants. There were two well armoured men wearing grey armour with red trimmed lines and red helmets not covering their face. They looked very demon like. It was good to see Liam once again and even better to hear he was on our side. I walked up to him and greeted him.

"Lord T.E.O. It's great to finally see you alive and well once again. Our men are ready for your orders."

I grinned and replied, "Good to see you too Liam. Tell your men to meet on the wall with Commander's Billy and Gus."

Liam did so without question. He went with me to meet up with the Fellas on another part of the wall. On the way down through the town, everyone had taken refuge in their homes and shops except for the multiple armouries in the village which had Frierursh and Liam's Soldiers gathering weapons including spears, swords, long tridents, long bows, arrows, and cross bows. I used my long sceptre like walking stick even though I didn't need to. It was just easy using it that way. We walked slowly up the stairs to the top of the castle wall where I saw three young men dressed and armoured in the same armour as myself and the soldiers. They even had chainmail under their metal armour. Once I got closer, one of them called out to me. The Black Knight turned to Liam and me.

"Well if it isn't the old man himself." Kurt said sarcastically, standing a couple of metres from the black Knight; his armour including his helmet over him, concealing every part of his body. I ignored Kurt and asked where the girls were.

"Don't worry. Your second T.B.O is safe." He said, hinting about Madeleine. T.B.O stood for The Beautiful One which was what they called the girl that the person liked. Kurt came up with that after mocking me about T.E.O, which we both thought was very creative. I said the first comeback that I thought of which was, "Yeah, like I'll have to rely on you to protect them."

"Michael, that's the lamest possible comeback ever. Let's just get ready for this enemy-"

Suddenly a giant boulder flew over us from the west and hit one of the buildings in the village. We looked out and saw hundreds, even possible thousands of men marching on the kingdom's wall. This was the start of the deadliest fight ever.

"Attack them, attack men!" Commander Gus yelled on the wall as a horn was blown, being heard all through the kingdom. The many rows of soldiers on the ground ran at the enemy and attacked. On the wall, archers with long bows fired arrows into the air over the enemy, killing what men they could. We all watched and waited for, or until the first line of defence; the ground troops fell in battle and we were overrun. I hoped it would not come to that. Commander Billy increased that worry.

"This doesn't look good." Commander Billy said. We looked to him and wondered what he was talking about. From what I could see, we had the upper hand; a large brick wall that was somewhat unbreakable, soldiers inside and outside the kingdom's walls and the ultimate power of The Evil One; being myself of course. But my confidence was soon turned. Multiple boulders still hit the buildings nestled within the kingdom's walls and we had no weapon that would be able to take them out. The siege upon us continued and we soon had another concern to worry about. A number of wooden siege towers closed in on the walls. The enemy would soon have the upper hand. From my stance on upon the wall I shot energy blasts and fire balls at several Pakolia soldiers on the towers. Unfortunately they were protected by the barriers on the front. The archers turned their attention to the towers. Commander Gus gave the order to fire upon the towers rather than the hundreds of ground forces. The first tower eventually hit the wall and several Pakolia men ran out, taking down the wall forces. We fought them off as best we could but they soon overran us, forcing our men to evacuate the wall and fall back to the bottom of the walls.

Nightfall came and yet the battle continued. The soldiers of Pakolia had made it to the castle gates. They used a long battering ram carried by about ten men in green clothing and steel armour, including their helmets. I now understood what Commander Billy meant by the situation not being as good as I originally believed. They began using ladders ten metres long and began to breach the inner walls of the castle. Many buildings outside the castle walls were burned and the sound of screaming innocents filled the kingdom. It was terrible. The castle was our last chance and our last hope of victory. I thought this had gone far enough. I could not bear seeing another man die with a part of his body off of him. Having to fight for my life just felt like overkill. The worst was not over. The Pakolia men had breached most of the wall and the fire blasts from my sceptre and both my hands was keeping them back, though it was not completely effective. I came up with a plan B, deciding to end it before my chance was too late. With all my power, I created a shield wall made of shadow between us and the Pakolia soldiers attacking.

"That should keep them busy." I said to myself before ordering everyone on my side; friends and soldiers to follow me to the closest exit off of the wall to safety. They began to break through the barrier and when the chance came. We made our way off of the inner wall and down the stairs. At that point, it was over. We made our way to the next exit off the wall while I put up more barriers to slow their advance. We thought we had gotten out of the fire before we came to realise the reality of only getting out of the frying pan. We were about to end up in the fire.

**Chapter IV**

**Negotiations**

Almost by sunrise the next morning, all of the exits off the wall had been blocked off and the leader of the attack on Lafiraveind had become victorious in taking the kingdom. But his original reason for the attack had not.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Evil One himself. The end of your terror of this world onto the next has come." The man said in front of all of his men who had surrounded us. Their spears were all pointed at us. The Pakolia leader had quite a tall, bulky grey skin coloured body and was more armoured than his men with a symbol of some sort of shape crossed between a circle, diamond and hexagon on the front of his chest armour. He wore a long green cape with the same symbol on the back and a captain's helmet uncovering most of his short, dark brown hair. We stayed quiet, standing on the stairs that led off of the wall for he had not asked any questions. The kingdom was on fire and the many screams continued to sound. I could not believe the very sight of it all. The leader walked from side to side as his men stood there and made sure none of us made any stupid moves.

"Who are you-"

"You're not in the right position to interrogate or question me Lord T.E.O. I've had enough! Now that I have you I can end it, bring peace to this planet and be seen as a hero."

That was all I needed to know with a little extra information of both what his plan was and his reason for this unprovoked attack. I spoke out once again through bravery.

"What makes you believe I am the cause of some dark day soon coming? I have heard the so called 'rumours', seen more than you could possibly imagine, and so I have a proposition for you."

"Like I said, you have no power to negotiate with me!" He yelled again. I felt that I was heading into dangerous waters but had no other choice in the matter. He thought for a bit and finally came to a decision.

"... I'm listening, but you had better not be playing me." He said cautiously. I thought of something that he would believe.

"Look, in five days a day of darkness will come..."

He turned to me and I saw the fear in his hazel eyes. I quickly continued.

"... I have seen a dark man by the name of Lord Frostbite..."

As soon as I mentioned that name I saw that he knew of whom I was talking about. I convinced him on.

"He has a prisoner who is frankly and unfortunately 'the Kilsoloph'."

Fear reached him and his men. He began to convince himself it not to be true. He became worried and retaliated.

"You're lying! She's a legend. There's no such thing." He said in worry. John butted in and played along with my lie.

"I have seen her; even heard her voice in my very head. If she's is not freed in five days, it's all over for this world and the next."

The leader's guards looked to one another, but had their still spears pointed. The leader had no choice but to answer. He was not too happy about it though. His eyes flustered in annoyance.

"I'm listening..."

I came up with the most ultimate and outrageous plan of a proposition I could think of.

"My plan is that you let me go and trust that the traitor, Lord Frostbite will be taken care of. I can save the planet from what you fear. Then you will get all the credit."

I elaborated and in the end the leader came to a decision before then asking, "How do I know you're telling the truth?"

I rolled my eyes at him and went through it again. I was getting so frustrated that I could not convince him and time was running out.

In a hidden location under the kingdom, the girls were in the safe room and guarded by the Shadow; the best men in Lafiraveind. They were beginning to become inpatient and uneasy. Outside, fifty Shadow Ninja's led by Drenacle guarded them. As for Sam Numa and Buhn Hido, they were helping Pyroth and the Frierursh keep the castle. The Pakolia had made their way through the burning kingdom where many lives had been lost and were onto the castle next. They came in hundreds and outnumbered the many eventually fallen protecting soldiers. Lafiraveind's last line of defence had fallen. Us; as prisoners, were taken to the throne room and grouped with Pyroth and the others. The first chance I got I told whispered to Pyroth that I had a plan. He then told me that we had no chance of surviving and I had no choice but to give them what they want... my life to be ended.

"I have a plan, but one that is not going as well as I hoped." I whispered to him. We were surrounded by spears and the leader walked up and sat in Pyroth's throne chair. Around the room, the Frierursh guards that once protected the place lay dead. The Pakolia men all cheered and the leader gave his next order.

"Now that you have nothing to bargain, I shall take you all back to my kingdom and decide what to do with you... or end all of your lives right here."

Now I really began to worry and I was running out of ideas as they were running out of me. I spoke out and tried to bargain with him once more, but it was over. The leader put his hand up and his men were about to send their spears straight through us. They waited for him make it final... but he didn't. He stood there like he was frozen. Something looked to be getting to him. He really hesitated and I saw that my word gotten through. I spoke out once more and tried to negotiate with him.

"I can stop this dark day from coming... what's your name?"

He hesitated before answering, "Onma Scorph... I'm the leader of Pakolia."

I knew I had him in my hands now. I had to finish it. I walked forward to the edge of the spear circle and had one of them softly touch my chest where I stopped. Onma ordered me to speak and tell him what negotiations I had.

"You let us go. Me and a crew including the Black Knight here get to Lord Frostbite in his ice kingdom of Swecawondi in the ice lands and get the Kilsoloph from him and save the planet from total darkness."

"And if you fail?"

I chose my next words carefully before I said them this time, making sure I made the right move. Through a large hesitation I had thought of the best yet worst proposal.

"Then... you get to do whatever you want with the men and... women here."

A shock went through the room and Onma's next words weren't expected.

"Five days. If you have not returned in five days and don't have Kilsoloph back, then I will leave none of you free or alive. My only question is; where are the women of whom you speak?"

I went quiet and realised I was in big trouble now. I did not want to have to ruin every possibility of my best female friends to end up supposably like the way Adma did at The Red Shroud; a servant to some uncaring master who would use them for as long as they were good for. Then it came to me and I figured out how to get around it.

"They've left... somewhere to Flarsheroth or something."

He looked at me and thought. I could tell he was thinking. He was looking up at the dark roof above before looking back not two seconds later. I stared back, hoping he believed it, just as he had with everything else I had told him. One of his men barged through the door, ran around the men guarding us and up and up to Onma.

"Sir, we secured the castle and found Vertro in one of the cells. He's been beaten up quite badly, but still alive."

Onma's eyes widened and began to question me.

"What is he doing here?"

I told Onma what happened right down to the last detail and how I was the one through my anger who roughed him up so badly he was close to his last breath. Onma then whispered something to the man who interrupted in the first place who left the room immediately. I didn't know what Onma's interest in Vertro was and threw the questioning onto him. I was immediately told to shut up and he repeated, "Five days... that is all you have." I again agreed to it; and even shook his hand on it. We were given back our weapons we handed over in surrender. The Fellas, the Black Knight and I headed to the docks to take the Black Knight's warship the 'Black Hunter'. Everyone; Onma, his men and the people they were holding hostage followed; escorting us, most likely to make sure we didn't escape, even though we knew it be the last thing any of us would do if we even thought of making such a daring move. The Black Knight gave me a crude look and none of them talked to me until we had made it to the ship, were on board and had set sail out of the docks of the now burning Lafiraveind along the hot lava ocean. The sight of my home was unbearable. The huge fire burning was the only cool thing about it; it could be seen for miles. The only thing I wondered was if the girls were alright and still safe.

"_Don't worry. They're hidden and Onma thinks they're at Flarsheroth. They won't be found and taken as prisoners." _I assured myself, trying to convince myself I was right. But some part of me knew it would only be a matter of time when another one of my fears would become a reality.

Miles away, the kingdom of Flarsheroth saw the smoke floating a hundred miles in the air over where they knew the kingdom of Lafiraveind was. It was no surprise that this end of the world was dark, but they still knew that a giant smoke cloud coming from the ground was not good news. A messenger went to see the leader of Flarsheroth in a main castle there. He got to the throne room after journeying through a maze of corridors. Once he had arrived, he ended up in a large room. It was completely red with a small area with poles opposite a red couch with red pillows on it on top of a platform, making the couch higher than it really was. Lying on this couch was a hooded man whose face was covered by his red hood. He was completely red; cloak, bottoms, shoes and all. He had light red skin and had his chest uncovered making him look very strong as if he was showing off his six pack. He also had a female prisoner on the couch with him. She was light yellow in skin colour, quite short with long blonde hair tied back in a long ponytail and green eyes She wore a long, very thin almost see-through; making her bra and underwear visible underneath, gown-like strapless dress which only went up to her bra. It was gown-like due to it being open a bit in the middle all the way down past her bare feet. She also had a thin metal bracelet fitted around her neck, a round ring on her forefinger on her left hand and a flat, circle headband crown on her head, all the colour of bright hot red. A small number of other female prisoners who looked to be servants of different colour skins and races wore the same clothing and walked around throne room. They carried red plates with drinks in red glasses on them, serving the creatures surrounding them all that were standing around enjoying themselves. At each end of the couch and at all the room's exits were the guards of the kingdom that made sure no one got anywhere near the man on the couch. They looked very demon-like and wore grey body, leg and arm armour with red trimmed lines and a red helmet not covering their face. The messenger bowed to the man on the couch and spoke.

"My Lord, the Red Shroud. Your men have failed in helping the Frierursh protect Lafiraveind from Pakolia and have all fallen in battle. We can see the smoke of the burning city from here."

The Red Shroud looked down at the messenger in disgust and anger.

"What do you know of the Evil One's survival?" Someone else in the room asked. Everyone in the room turned to him. He was about 17 years old; yet looked older, had short brown hair, sideburns on his face, and black eyes, wearing a red top, bottoms and shoes. He was armoured all over that he looked to be some warrior of the Red Shroud. The messenger turned from the Red Shroud to him. He slightly stood in the shadows. The messenger spoke.

"We... have had... unfortunately had no word of the Evil One's survival, sir..."

He paused and waited to hear the name of this man.

"Resavolar…" The man answered. "Sir Resavolar."

"Well Sir Resavolar of the Red Shroud, Lord T.E.O is most likely dead. That smoke has been rising for days now and there's no possible way to know if Liam had made it either." The messenger added. The crowd began to speak amongst themselves and the Red Shroud silenced them all. The room fell silent. He left his couch and he and Sir Resavolar went down to a lower part of the castle so they could speak in private. In that time his prisoner entertained the crowd by dancing for them.

"I know the Evil One has not fallen in battle. Sir Resavolar, if he has died in the attack then we would all be somewhere else right now. I too remember the day T.E.T Corp was destroyed. I was the only one not in that building at that point in time of complete disaster." The Red Shroud said assuring his truth.

"...Your point being?" Sir Resavolar asked.

"My point is when it did happen, everyone who meant at least the smallest to the Evil One was somehow saved and transported to this very age; the Middle Ages as you humans call it of your own home planet. The question is why."

He thought about it for a couple of seconds before Sir Resavolar told him to not worry of it at the moment. They returned to the throne room and let the truth would be revealed, if or when that time would come.

Meanwhile on the Black Hunter, I was leaning over the side of the ship watching the lava waves hit the hot metal of the bottom of the ship. We had not reached the Southern Lava Ocean. The dense volcanic land on each side of the large river we journeyed along could still be clearly seen. I sighed over and over again as I thought of the girls; especially one in particular.

"How are you going man?" Kurt asked me, coming over to see me. I looked to him and sighed once more.

"Well?"

I showed him that I didn't want to talk about it but he did not see the sign I was giving away. He just went on waiting for me to tell him. I turned back to the delightful sight of the land in the distance.

"Michael, we're on a huge warship captained by your brother! What could possibly be bothering you... whatever it is... get over it."

He had a good point, but I was; as he obviously was not, aware of the reality.

"Kurt, I wish I could be happy and enjoy myself, I mean, these ages are awesome, but we aren't safe here and I know it never will be even when it's over."

He looked at me. I thought he was realising that I was right about our current situation but then saw a smile cross his face.

"Michael, Michael, Michael. Three words... GET OVER IT..! Another four words... ENJOY YOURSELF FOR ONCE MAN!" he said, drawing everyone on the ship's attention to us.

"That's five Kurt." I said in a sarcastic tone. He gave me a mean look that I had never seen him give anyone before. He then went to a lower level of the ship to the others. As for me, I continued to enjoy the view and also enjoy myself my own way. It was annoying yet somewhat interesting how much the Fellas cared about me. I looked out to the bow of the ship and saw that the land on each side of the lava river was disappearing. We were about to hit the open ocean. Along the Southern Lava Ocean, the ship rocked more from the large waves. Our stomachs began to hate the rocking of the ship and the sea.

"Ooh... the only bad thing about the sea and a warship is going along it; the rocking, swaying and everything." Andrew said, in the pain of being sea sick. John and his men seemed to be the only ones who had not ended up the same. It was a terrible sight but it didn't get to me that much. It seemed to be boredom that hit us worse and hit very hard. The Black Knight was in the same predicament. The land of the Fire-Heat Region was out of sight. IT soon felt as though we were lost. The sky was cloudy and dark. Afternoon was turning to night. The Fellas and I stayed in one of the cabins, talking.

"Don't be so stupid man. Death is way worse." Peter said. I agreed with him and walked off to get some sleep; that would have helped me, but my mind was confused, frustrated and all over the place. I couldn't get the picture of Adma being first a prisoner of the Red Shroud and now of Frostbite's. It was even worse not knowing where the other girls were and if they were safe or not. In the heat of all this going through my mind, I finally fell asleep. But wished I had not.

**Chapter V**

**Complications**

I had fallen into a dream of a memory I remember so well. It was at the Red Shroud's building that was also called The Red Shroud back on Mestroplosia in the future when I had to fight a man by the name of Frank Hultz. I could see his spiky ice hair and the hooded cloak he wore over his ice body of colours blue and white; the dream felt so real. We faced each other and the fight went into hand to hand combat to start off with. I punched and kicked him as he did the same to me. But we were too good for each other for only one of us to come out on top. As soon as that had ended, we stood opposite each other, worn out by our equal skill.

"You put up a hard fight but you can never kill me boy." He said, before I finally beat him and threatened him to tell me where Adma was. I saw the fear in his blue eyes as my anger and overpowering changed his perception of me as just a young, weak teenage human boy.

"ANSWER ME! There's no coincidence that-"

I never got to finish saying, "There's no coincidence that you came here after she disappeared!"

I wish I had finished saying it, but I was stopped by the Red Shroud and Drenacle before I finished him off for good. I woke up in a sort of hammock being supported by two metal poles inside the warship straight after, my heart beating fast and my anger in the back of my head coming back. I was almost about to fall out of it onto the ground.

"_That was weird."_ I thought. I got out and went out for a walk along the top deck of the ship to get some fresh air when I saw Andrew. In the middle of the night, it was a surprise to see him up. He looked to be sad about something as he leaned over the starboard side of the ship. He caught sight of me and tried to pull himself together. I asked him what was wrong; hoping for him to not hide what was getting him so depressed. He began to answer just as he was interrupted. I passed out and ended up in another sort of memory that once again seemed real enough to be reality. I was awake, or felt I was, back in the room with the golden pyramid and the Oracle.

"Fate shows itself in different ways. Whether you fall to it or not is decided by you and you alone." She said as she had the first time I had met her. None of this made sense. I understood the whole passing out and ending up where the Oracle was; third time it has occurred now, so I was used to it. Still, I never knew why it kept happening. Was I going to receive some more important information on what to do to redeem my kingdom? Somehow, I just remembered back to the dream I had; well more like a vision than a memory of Adma and Frostbite.

"Adma... Frostbite... Wait. Frostbite is... no it can't be, can it?"

My ultimate realisation confused me and I thought I was just being silly.

"Creation shadows fact. Time will come along with vengeance. Your ultimate fate has been created and it's not over until balance is restored. All good and bad things eventually come to an end. Fear is a large part of life. Darkness... light... life... fate."

All of the Oracle's helpful hints and advice just made things worse and more confusing. I then saw the light of Andrew's voice.

"Michael? Michael, wake up."

I finally came too and looked up at Andrew. He stopped shaking me to life once he realised I had come back. He wasn't the only one who was there. Everyone else had turned up and I sat on the floor with the circle of them all staring down at me.

"What happened to you?" Andrew asked. I didn't answer, but instead looked around at all the staring faces. I got to my feet and walked through them all like nothing had happened and went back down stairs to clear my head; if that was even possible.

"What happened to him Andrew? Do you know?" John asked him, sounding very concerned after everyone had gone back to their own thing and it was just them two.

"Like I said before, I don't know. He asked me what the matter was when I was..."

He went silent and said no more, before coming up with the excuse that he had to be somewhere else, soon leaving John there standing by himself.

I lay awake in my hammock, wondering how I was going to explain to everyone that I could have stopped all of this from happening by killing Lord Frostbite, whom I believed was Frank Hultz, when I had the chance back at The Red Shroud in the future. My chance was there and I blew it all and at the same time put everyone I care about in jeopardy. My train of thought was disturbed when Kurt came to see me.

"What is wrong with you man? You don't talk much. You always pass out and wake up like a different person… it's not normal."

I agreed with him. It annoyed me too. Kurt noticed my lost sense of the reality that lied upon me and yelled, grabbing my attention.

"Look, you're doing it again Michael!"

He was about to go on more about it but was interrupted by yelling from the top deck of the ship. We ran out and looked up at the centre mast where the sound of one of the Black Knight's crew members continuingly shouted, "Land HO! LAND HO!" grabbing every crew mates attention. Straight ahead was a small kingdom with a brick layered castle walls. It looked to be red. I was not sure if it was red from the volcanoes and red stormy sky surrounding it or if we had finally made it to our destination; Flarsheroth.

Meanwhile over at Flarsheroth...

"Sir, we have caught sight of an unknown warship about five miles away from the kingdom." The messenger said; informing the Red Shroud immediately. He's eyes widened this. He ordered Sir Resavolar to go with the messenger and a couple of the Red Shroud's men down to the docks and see who this unknown visitor was. Being a loyal companion to the crime lord, Resavolar did so without question. He immediately left the Red Shroud's throne room and went with about ten of the Red Shroud's men down to the docks. At that same moment, we got closer to the land and the kingdom that I continued to believe was Flarsheroth. I was hoping to inform their leader, our ally, the Red Shroud, that the whole T.E.O conspiracy and rebellions in stopping this coming tragedy had now arisen worse than ever. The time to act was now. I expected to see a smile on John's face from closing in on Flarsheroth, reaching safety at last, but he had a look of suspicion and uneasiness which changed my perception of this hopeful moment.

"What's wrong?" I asked him. He didn't answer. Instead, he seemed to be in another world and was not listening, like he was concentrating more on what was supposably about to occur. I figured this was not good. Seeing a flag with a picture of a lime coloured snake in front of an orange background on it made me feel like we were in trouble again. The warship drew nearer to the docks of this kingdom and the truth was about to be revealed. Over at Flarsheroth, Resavolar waited at the docks. The ship had finally arrived. The captain of the unknown vessel walked down the ramp and met with him.

"Good to see you Sir Resavolar."

"You too... Is there any news of The Evil One?" He asked.

"No... Onma made sure he had the upper hand and Lord T.E.O couldn't outsmart him."

"What are you doing here Mr..?"

"Grond... Yeko Grond, Sir Resavolar." Grond replied. He told Sir Resavolar that he was in Lafiraveind when the attack begun, he luckily escaped before the place was burned to the ground. Weary of this new arrival, Resavolar made him wait at the docks with the messenger while he returned to the Red Shroud to inform him of Grond's arrival. At the same time we had gone way off our main course and ended up making port in the wrong kingdom. We arrived and exited the Black Hunter; all following the Black Knight when we were greeted by leader and owners of this unknown kingdom.

"Ah, the Black Knight, this is a pleasant surprise." The man said. He was armoured in metal armour with green and orange clothing under it. He was accompanied by soldiers in more completely covered armour than him. I noticed the brown crown, lime green cape and black shoes under his armour also. I was happy that we had not been arrested immediately or anything of the sort. I feared that would soon come.

"Yes Grouck. I'm here on strict business and not just after supplies this time." John informed the leader. Though I felt we were with good people who were on our side, I stayed out of sight while the Black Knight explained the situation we were all in. He didn't mention the Evil One at all in the process which made me really worry.

"I see. We will help you as we do owe you Black Knight. You have always been a trusted and welcome guest to my home. You and your crew are all welcome to join us for our feast tonight. In the meantime, we will give you directions and escort you to back Flarsheroth tomorrow." Grouck told him. He sounded very welcoming. There was still something I did not trust about him. My hood was kept over my face. The Black Knight felt trusting of Grouck which I did not like. There was something that didn't feel right in the fact of the dark setting that had started at Lafiraveind and followed us all the way here. I stayed hidden in the group and made sure I was not seen by any of the strangers we had now encountered. Grouck invited us up to his castle and that night a party and feast was celebrated in our honour. There was rum, meat and a massive feast as we were happily Grouck's guests. I sought information from John. He told me for as long as Grouck knew nothing of the attack and reasons for Grouck's ally, the Pakolia taking Lafiraveind, then we were fine. This I didn't like one bit and at the same time, word of the Pakolia's attack on Lafiraveind just brought back memories of the nightmare and worries about the girls safety. I began to shake and spilt a bit of my goblet filled with fresh cold water on the table.

"Don't worry Michael. Like I said, we'll be fine. We'll have left by morning and on our way while being escorted by-"

He was interrupted by Grouck's arrival in the conversation.

"It is a wonderful pleasure to be in the presence of the Evil One himself. Welcome to Rogrutch My Lord." He welcomed. I was very flattered by his kindness and replied kindly in return, though kept it brief.

"Thank you very much Grouck. How did you know I was, I mean, am the Evil One?" I asked him. He laughed.

"Secrets do not stay long here. I knew ever since I first saw you."

He made a cheers' as the party went through the whole night and I was awake and pretty much paranoid as anything. Though I did trust my brother's word, I did not feel like I was at a safe place. I could hardly sleep. Around about midnight I walked along the roof of the castle and looked over at the magnificent black hills of what I believed was the Black Mountains to the North West.

"Beautiful isn't it." A voice said from behind me. I looked around immediately to see it was Grouck. I was amazed to see him up here.

"What are you doing up?" I asked curiously, staying on my feet and not at all letting my guard down. He came up next to me and looked out into the unknown distance too.

"I knew you would be here. Lord Frostbite hasn't made a move yet... that's a good thing."

I did not understand why he was telling me this. I also thought that asking him may make me mention the one thing that could end this warm welcome, turning a current ally to an enemy.

"_Should I ask him what he means? I may get an answer, or I may turn him against me."_

He turned to me and noticed my mind wasn't in the right place.

"What's wrong?" He asked. I came to my senses and said, "Nothing." as though I was trying to hide something. He began to walk off back down the stairs. I watched him as he said goodnight to me and was out of sight. I then turned back and faced back toward the Black Mountains in the distance. I thought of my friends, the ones that were here in Rogrutch with me and the ones that were not. Not long after, it all went downhill. About ten of Grouck's Guards came up with their swords in their hands, running straight at me. I was afraid of this.

"_Oh no, I knew I should have just come up with an excuse."_ I thought, as I tried to think of what to do to get out of this mess. I knew there was a certain reason why I was suspicious of these people, let alone figuring that they would try to kill me if they found out about the Pakolia; their friends and allies attacking and taking over Lafiraveind. How did they though, and why did Grouck meet me himself before this? I kept Grouck's Soldiers away from me by shooting fire balls at them but more and more turned up, outnumbering me, attempting to finish me off.

"Get away... Get away... I'm not the enemy!" I yelled. I was on my own with no one to help me in this desperate time of need. I went with my second plan and in a great deal of strength, turned the floor on the roof into a massive shadow. As soon as the advancing soldier's feet touched the shadow, they fell through it into darkness. I breathed deeply and realised I had defeated them all. I heard clapping and saw Grouck return. The shadow had disappeared and he walked straight over to me.

"Well done Lord T.E.O, well done in deed. It's no surprise it took my brother so long to take Lafiraveind." He said. I became confused of what Grouck was talking about.

"What are you talking about? How do you know about Lafiraveind being-?"

He interrupted me before I could finish my sentence.

"I know what is going on and the reason why your brother didn't mention you to me. He told me his secret because we both have brothers. My brother has spies of the devil himself. Come; I will tell you everything."

I followed him down from the roof, around through the castle and into his throne room where all of my friends and brother stood. They were in a circle around some sort of fountain. It was large and round with a statue of a snake having water come out of its mouth draining into the pool surrounding it. It was a funny thing and completely weird.

"What's this?" I asked. Grouck, who now stood in front of me moved to the side, allowing me to have a good look at the fountain. He still had not answered my original question. I asked again and finally received what I was after.

"It's a fountain." Kurt said sarcastically, acting like I was stupid. I gave him a mean look and turned to Grouck for the truth. He didn't make eye contact with me and instead stared at the fountain. I was beginning to lose patience and asked over and over again. Then it happened. The room went dark and I could not see a thing except for the shine of the now somehow lit up fountain. Many colourful, magic strips began to fly in the air around it and in a sudden explosion that knocked us all back... nothing had changed. I came too and saw that the fountain just went back to normal as it was before the darkness and everything came. Grouck didn't look happy and began to question the fountains effect.

"What is going on? This isn't right." He said in confusion. John looked from him to the fountain. I could tell he was thinking the same thing. The room was quiet and I did not even know what the fountain was supposed to do in the first place. The Fellas got to their feet and in the rooms silence, a great truth was shown. Grouck paced from one side of the room to the other.

"Think, think... think."

"What was supposed to happen?" I asked him.

"This fountain is a communicator to any said personnel on the planet. We were going to get in contact with..."

John coughed and made Grouck fall silent. He then politely asked for the Fellas and me to leave so a meeting between him and Grouck could take place. We kindly left, but I suspected that John was up to something and was keeping it from us. Whatever it was, I knew he couldn't trust to keep it from me for long.

The next day, the Fellas and I returned to the Black Hunter to discuss matters and plans of our own. By the afternoon we returned to the kingdom streets where we found John at a blacksmith. The Fellas decided to get their swords sharpened. They talked to him while I looked around a merchant shop across the road It contained many pendants and charms. The shop keeper, dressed in magic clothing noticed me and spoke in her slightly higher pitched voice.

"Do you see what you desire?"

I turned to her, noticing her yellow eyes glancing at me. She looked quite young, yet many years older than me. Her long light brown hair stayed completely out of her face.

"I'm just looking." I replied. After looking in there for a few minutes I returned to the blacksmith. His area, in a small outdoor area with a roof, contained many swords and axes hanging on the walls. The blacksmith had left the room. Peter told me that as soon as he saw the Black Knight arrive, he ran out. I feared he had left due to him being a mass murderer and was going to call the guards… nobody here could not be trusted. This was the most paranoid I had ever become. The blacksmith returned not long after with two seriously nice identical swords. They were long, sharp and the handle on each had the best grip on it. They were even cleaner than the dirty brown mantle and pants he wore.

"Here Black Knight; these are for you." He said as he handed John the swords. John thanked him and the Fellas gave him a strange look.

"Whoa, I wonder what he did to get those." Andrew said, really liking the look of the swords as much as I did. I was more of a sceptre person, though I could not deny the awesome look of the swords. John overheard him and told us the story of how he helped the merchant get back a thief who stole a sword from him. Preparation for a voyage to Flarsheroth must have been taking longer than first anticipated.

That night we stayed in the castle and I could finally sleep soundly. Before I went off to bed, Andrew came in to see me. I was sitting on the wooden bed looking through my fingers when I noticed him in the corner of my left eye.

"Hey, what're you doing?"

I looked up.

"Are you alright Michael?" He asked, changing the question after I gave away that something was wrong and it was obviously bothering me.

"I'm just worried about all this; the girls, Lafiraveind and most of all, my life."

He sat next to me and tried to keep me positive. No matter what he did though, I knew it wouldn't help me forget, or at least get over the fact the situation of my first T.B.O was Lord Frostbite's prisoner and my second T.B.O and the others had most likely been found by now.

"If you only knew what is going on Andrew." I said.

"And what's that?" He asked. I looked out the window; sure that if I did save Adma and kill Frostbite, it wouldn't end there. I didn't know why I had a raging suspicion of such a thing, and got it out of my head straight away. We talked for a little while longer before Nelson left me to my thoughts. I went off to bed minutes later. I slept well, though I couldn't wait to get back on track to my ultimate quest, hoping that this would not destroy any chance I had in completing it successfully without losing more than what I already had. Although I was happy, I had a dream that I would never forget. Suddenly waking afterward, I thought to what tomorrow was going to bring and remembered Grouck's very words; "We will give you directions and escort you to Flarsheroth." Thinking back to the very bad dream I just had, I wasn't sure if I was just dreaming of what could happen tomorrow, or if this dream was a warning of what was going to happen. I told myself not to worry about it and went back to sleep.

The next morning I returned to the fountain where I found everyone to be once again and the first sight I caught was a piece of paper being given from Grouck to the Black Knight.

"Thank you for all your help Grouck." The Black Knight said kindly.

"It is a pleasure Black Knight." Grouck replied in the same kind tone. The group headed down to the docks where we were, as planned, to set sail and be escorted by Grouck's fleet of Rogrutch Warships to Flarsheroth. All of the Black Knights crewmen got to their posts and worked together to get the Black Hunter out of port. Two huge identical metal warships came in front and two more came up from behind us as soon as there was room to. Grouck came also. He stayed on a fifth ship that pulled in front of the two in front of us. Seeing the ally ships where they were worried me further. I had to tell someone what was on my mind.

"It's good to be on the high seas again. Let me see now. All we have to do is make sure we don't bump into the other ships or else we'll be in real trouble then." John said to me. I became nervous and started to shake. He noticed it.

"Are you alright Michael?" He asked. He had never seen me shake this much. As I looked out to the morning horizon in the east, I became more uneasy. John asked me again and then suggested that I should go to bed. Having another bad dream come true was what I really needed. I felt death taking me and headed down to the lower levels of the ship, got into a hammock, and went to sleep there.

At Flarsheroth, Grond had become a welcome guest and showed himself as an ally of the Frierursh to keep his cover. What he didn't know was that his belief as being an unknown character to the Red Shroud was not correct. The Red Shroud had remembered Grond from their last encounter in the future when he delivered Adma to the Red Shroud as a gift where he was payed gallantly for her.

"Sir, Yeko Grond is here to see you." The Red Shroud's messenger said when he, Resavolar and Grond, along with his crew entered the throne room. Resavolar and the messenger stayed at the side as Grond and his men stood in the middle of the throne room in front of the Red Shroud. The Red Shroud stared down at them intently and asked them questions of their arrival.

"You know why we're here Red Shroud. The Evil One is on his way to Flarsheroth and it's only a matter of time before the day of darkness comes."

The Red Shroud's prisoner looked from Yeko and back up at the Red Shroud, waiting for his reply. The Red Shroud fell silent and Sir Resavolar began to question Grond instead.

"What do you know about the very possible wrath of the Evil One?"

Grond turned to him.

"I said no such thing about the Evil One being a main reason for the day of darkness Sir Resavolar. What makes you mention him at all?"

Resavolar went quiet and realised he had made a mistake. Grond had him cornered. The Red Shroud immediately interrupted before the argument worsened.

"Mr Grond, we have heard of this coming day of darkness. There have been rumours scandalling the Evil One's reputation. That is why Sir Resavolar mentioned the Evil One. This rumour has begun a war that you couldn't imagine. What news do you have about the day of darkness anyway?"

Grond explained what he knew about the day of darkness, including when it was going to happen. The Red Shroud eventually became convinced. Resavolar on the other hand did not. He retaliated, but soon saw the reality that another ally of the Evil One had been hypnotised by an agent of the enemy. He knew he had to break it.

"How can you believe these lies Red Shroud? This man is obviously trying to make you-"

"Silence at once Resavolar! You have no place to say what the truth is and isn't. If it is true that the Evil One is the cause for the day of darkness and Grond has heard prophecy from the Oracle herself. Then we must do what we can to stop it from happening." The Red Shroud ordered. Resavolar couldn't believe what he was hearing. He tried to reason with the Red Shroud but was silenced.

"If you argue against me, then I will have no choice but to get rid of you."

Grond spoke out in agreement with the Red Shroud's decision.

"Red Shroud, if he is turning against you, you have the right to rid of him. Do you see that the Red Shroud has accepted the truth Resavolar? Or has your loyalty of the Evil One clouded your better judgement?"

Resavolar fell silent and said no more. A smile came across Grond's face and in Resavolar's better judgement; he went to punch Grond. He ran up at Grond as two of the Red Shrouds guards grabbed him before he could do so.

"I'm sorry Resavolar. Your better judgement has got the best of you. Take him to the dungeons. He is no longer a soldier of the Red Shroud." The Red Shroud ordered. Resavolar gave Grond a mean look and yelled, "You won't get away with this! The day will come when the reality of truth will show! Firaciend will never fall for your treachery!"

The crowd watched as the guards took him down the stairs to the dungeons where he was put in a cell and kept there. Grond was now a formal guest and his work had been done. The Red Shroud then pulled his prisoner onto him and did very bad things to her in front of the crowd before getting her to then dance for them all. She did as he wanted, very uncomfortably. Resavolar sat in the dark, dirty old cell. Figuring out how he was going to get out of his situation.

_"Okay. I'm in jail and surrounded by a whole load of murderers. Think. If I was T.E.O, how would I get out?"_ He thought to himself. It took him most of the night, but finally after a large amount of thought, Resavolar had come up with a plan of escape. He did not make a move until the right time came. A guard walked past the cell door, back and forth and he acted. He threw a skeleton bone at the door that he had found in the corner of the cell. It caught the guard's attention. He called another guard over to the cell door. Resavolar's chance had arrived.

"Hey! Keep quiet!" One yelled through the dungeon. The place fell silent until all that could be heard was rustling from a particular cell. Both the guards walked to where the rustling was coming from; Resavolar's cell. Cautiously, they looked through the peek hole on the cell door and saw no one inside. Now a little alerted, one went to open the door, making sure that the prisoner inside had not escaped. The other stood guard. As soon as the cell door was unlocked, the door, flung back, hitting the first guard unconscious while sending a loud bang through the dungeons. The second guard turned to stop Resavolar from escaping. He attempted to hit Resavolar with the blunt end of his spear. Resavolar grabbed it and hit him in the head, knocking him unconscious instead.

"Excellent." Resavolar said to himself in his victory. He grabbed his weapons from a nearby cupboard and disguised himself as a guard, removing the armour from the first unconscious guard and placing it on himself. He left the dungeons, making his way through the corridors, on his way to do one last thing before he would escape freely. The castle was quiet and luckily the place had not been alerted to his escape yet. Resavolar knew this perfection would not stay for long and acted quickly. Travelling all over the castle he searched for Grond but could not find him.

"Damn it! He's got to be around here somewhere, but where though?" He quietly said to himself, hiding in the shadows from a couple of guards that passed him. Daylight was soon coming and when that happened he was aware of what would follow. He made his way to the Red Shroud's base in the East end of the kingdom. He snuck his way right into one of the captains of the Red Shroud and his friend Hopnth Sandre. He headed through the entrance. The base was heavily guarded. Many of the Red Shroud's guards guarded and patrolled the place. Resavolar got past all of them. Seeing that he was disguised, they took no notice of him. He headed up a flight of stairs before coming to a closed red door. He opened it and saw Hopnth.

"Why do you come here Tony?" Hopnth said as he heard Resavolar; aka Tony, walk in. He wore the same clothing as the guards but a red cape and looked a higher class to them. He was looking through the window out at the castle; his back facing Resavolar.

"How did you know it was me Hopnth?" Resavolar asked. Hopnth turned to him.

"I've known you for over three weeks now, since your arrival my friend. I could tell by your feet Tony. Now, like I asked before, what are you doing here?"

He turned and saw the look of worry on Tony's face and knew his news was not at all welcoming.

"We've had Grond: the Redempter poison the Red Shroud's mind. He has come to believe them. I was put in jail for my actions in speaking out against him, and I don't know who else to turn to." Tony explained. Hopnth's eyes widened. He could not believe what he was hearing. In the distance a bell rang and a voice yelled, "Escaped prisoner! We have an escaped prisoner!" Hopnth turned to Tony and saw the truth in his eyes. He hesitated before saying anything more. He walked from one side of the long wooden table in front of him to the other side of it before stopping back in the middle again. He was really frustrated and did not know what to do.

"... You should not have come here Tony. I can't help you this time. If what you said is true then there's only one thing you can do... take this."

He gave Tony some sort of small silver crystal. Tony looked at it and Hopnth said, "This will help. Here's what you must do. The Red Shroud's female prisoner is the key to the legend of this crystal... her name's Syth. She was captured after she infiltrated the castle and the Red Shroud found that he liked her more than just having as a normal servant for her punishment. This crystal was in her possession when she was caught. The Red Shroud kept it for himself, trying to figure out the extent its power. Free Syth and she can help you. I know you can figure this out. Go now, and don't trust anyone other than me." Tony nodded and left the building, passing the guards going up to let Hopnth know what had happened. Tony snuck down into the town and into an empty house where he stayed and thought of how he would possibly be able to rescue Syth from the clutches of the Red Shroud. Hopnth's guards turned up at his office to inform him of the situation. Hopnth pretended not to know what was going on.

"What seems to be the problem?" Hopnth immediately asked as soon as he heard the door open. One of the guards answered him straight away.

"We have had an escaped prisoner sir. His Excellency wants full precautions lead by you."

Hopnth wasn't happy about it, though he did as the Red Shroud had ordered without question. He left his office with his guards and they all made their way through the busy streets back to The Red Shroud. In the meantime, Tony stayed where he was and tried to figure out the power of the crystal that Hopnth mentioned it had.

The next morning, the Red Shroud called a state of emergency and Grond personally went to Hopnth to tell him that he was to meet at the Red Shroud's throne room again.

"Of course will, as soon as I can. Thank you for telling me about it Grond. There's just one thing before I go with you to the Red Shroud; why has this emergency been called? I thought the escaped prisoner would have been caught by now." Hopnth said. Yeko did not answer. He just repeated himself and told Hopnth to go with him to see the Red Shroud or else he would be in trouble. Once they arrived, the Red Shroud greeted them in and explained everything.

"I have called this state of emergency because a very skilled and dangerous prisoner escaped last night, taking out anyone who got in his way; Sir Resavolar. He must be tracked down and brought to me straight away. There will be a reward for anyone successful in capturing him... alive. Understood?" He said. Everyone in the throne room nodded. Hopnth looked around at the cheering crowd as they all left the throne room. The Red Shroud left his couch where Syth laid and walked over to Hopnth and Grond.

"Sir Resavolar will not back down until he has got his revenge... I want you to make sure no one allows another one of my guards die to that traitor."

He winked at Hopnth before continuing.

"You two will be working together. You are now my most trustworthy men... don't make the same mistake Resavolar did."

Hopnth agreed but did not like what he had now become a part of. Syth stayed lying on the couch, unhappy as anything.

**Chapter VI**

**The Rescue**

As the day continued, the search for Resavolar accompanied it. Every occupied building in the kingdom was searched through by every one of the Red Shroud's men but no one had found him. He was hidden and through lucky thinking, was smart to hide himself in a building that no one would think to look... an old abandoned building. He spent most of his time in the shadows with the silver crystal. He looked at it carefully. It lay still, until he touched a weak part of it. Suddenly, the crystal lit up, though nothing happened... so Tony thought.

"Damn it. There's got to be something this crystal can do. Come on... maybe here...here? Here, here." He said, poking different parts of the crystal. He then came to his senses and realised the sound of everything around him had fallen silent. Cautiously, he walked out of the building, making sure there was no one was around. The first thing he saw was a group of guards walking down the street nearby. He quickly jumped back inside, out of sight, before realising something. He went back out and looked around the street. Everything around it was frozen. The guards, civilians and even the shop keepers in the street all were not moving a muscle. Resavolar knew it was the work of the crystal.

Inside the Red Shroud's throne room, Syth was aware of the same thing and sat there, staring at all the frozen creatures around her.

"_It can't be. No. This can't be happening."_ She said to herself. She was really worried and at that, time began to slowly come back and resume. Everybody started to slowly start moving again and both Syth and Resavolar realised the effect was starting to wear off. Resavolar got back into where he was hiding and tried to make it happen again. Keeping an ear out to hear the sound of the commotion outside, he poked different parts of the crystal until he would hear silence come over the town once more. Trying over and over again he could not make it to happen. He even pressed the same weak spot where he had before, but had no luck. It didn't make sense to him. The only person who would know how to make time stop again was Syth. Unfortunately he could not ask her. The only way he could talk to her was if he saved her from the Red Shroud. The only way he could do that was if he made time freeze again. It all became really confusing and he could not think straight. There came a knock at the door and he stayed quiet. The door opened and a man walked in. Using his skill, Resavolar snuck behind the man and grabbed him; his hand over the man's mouth making him silent.

"Who are you?" He asked in a whisper. The man tried to break free but was held too tight. Resavolar asked again and the man tried to speak but could not for his mouth was still covered.

"Promise me this... you will keep quiet and not yell for help if I take my hand away from your mouth." Resavolar told the man. The man nodded in fear and Resavolar trusted his word just as he realised who the man was. He let him go.

"Blaze, what are you doing here?" He asked.

"I was sent here to make sure Lord T.E.O got here safely." Blaze answered, breathing deeply.

"Oh... I'm sorry about grabbing you. How is Lord T.E.O anyway?"

Blaze's face turned to despair at the question and he looked away.

"He was supposed to be here by now. The Red Shroud has no idea about my presence in Flarsheroth and Pyroth warned me that things may not be as good as we hoped."

Resavolar nodded in agreement. He told Blaze what had happened and why he was hiding in the abandoned building.

"I know Blaze. He's right. The Red Shroud has already been exposed to The Redempter's power of persuasion and has turned against the Evil One. I did my best to save him but... well that's the reason why I'm here and not there."

Blaze understood what it meant and asked about his plan of action. Resavolar explained the whole plan right down to the very last detail and showed Blaze the crystal he had been given by his friend Hopnth.

"The only thing is that it won't pause time again." He said. They fell silent as they heard the sound of a small group of the Red Shroud's men passing by, searching for Resavolar as they both figured. Once it was safe, they continued to talk about their plan of action.

The afternoon came and the hope of their luck coming around disappeared even more. The effect of the crystal freezing time; the one thing they needed to happen for their plan to go exactly according to plan never occurred. Both Resavolar and Blaze were beginning to run out of ideas.

"How about... no, that won't work. Only if this crystal would do what we want it to do, then everything will be perfect." Blaze said. He was very annoyed. There was no rational idea that he could think of. Resavolar just sat there, thinking harder than Blaze was. Then it came to him.

"Blaze, go on the opposite side of the room."

"What?" Blaze replied. He was confused by Resavolar's request.

"Just do it. We will be able to figure out if it works when the person furthest away from the crystal will freeze in time."

Blaze didn't look happy to the whole idea. There was the fact that he knew if Resavolar was going to do this right, then he would need his help. He looked up at Resavolar. The unhappy look on his face showed the way he felt to the idea.

"What? You know that the only way to get this done right is to make sure we realise the effect is taking place straight away so we don't lose our chance succeeding. What's your problem with that?" Resavolar asked.

"You need my help. You know you can't pull this rescue off on your own. I can help you in succession of this."

The conversation eventually turned into an argument for the many following hours. Both were arguing about who was to go and who would stay back. By nightfall, a silence fell in the kingdom as it had earlier that same day. In this time, the crystal began to glow in Resavolar's hand, but none of them had noticed it. They were too busy arguing.

"I should go because I was the one entrusted with the crystal. I am whom it was given to... to protect and use it for the mission. I am also the one who was entrusted told to hold onto it until time to hand it over to its original owner." Resavolar said, trying to win the argument that had not been settled yet.

"Well, if it wasn't for me... Wait... Do you hear that?"

"Hear what exactly?"

That was Blaze's point. They both went quiet and listened to the silence. Cautiously, Blaze walked over to the door and opened it to see a group of guards patrolling nearby. Like Resavolar had done, he closed the door again, before realising that they were not moving.

"Come have a look at this!" Blaze yelled. Resavolar ran up and put his hand over Blazes mouth to shut him up. He noticed the frozen guards. Blaze threw Resavolar's hand off of his mouth so he could breathe freely.

"This is it... you ready for this?" Blaze asked him. Resavolar nodded his head and they both ran through the maze of streets. Resavolar led the way, having been used to the maze, they both made it to the entrance of the castle gates past every frozen guard that looked to be searching for Resavolar. Their main worry was of how much time they had. A sudden cry for help came from inside the castle over and over again. They both ran inside and chased the sound, through the major maze of corridors until they had made it to the person in need. Syth looked to her right from the couch where she was still sitting. The Red Shroud behind her was completely still, as was Grond, standing to the right of the couch.

"So you... wait, Blaze!"

"Syth, what are you doing here. They thought they had lost you in Inflarstor, seeing that you hadn't returned in a while." Blaze replied. He was happy as anything to see her alive and well besides the sad and terrible situation she had ended up in.

"You two know each other?" Resavolar asked them. They ignored his question. It was not the time to reminisce.

"These days haven't been the best being the Red Shroud's... 'Slave', all this time. Come, we must get out of here before time runs out and things get even more complicated." Syth replied. She jumped off the couch and got them to follow her down to where her clothes were before she was forced into the horrible servant costume of the Red Shroud's. It was down through yet another maze of corridors into the heart of the castle. The three of them travelled further down into the depths of the castle as they came to a red door, looking similar to the door of Hopnth's office.

"This is it. This is where they change the prisoner's clothing." Syth told them. Cautiously, she opened the door and went in to find exactly what she had seen before. It was a medium sized red room with a red table in the middle. A multiple number of red wardrobes stood around it. Resavolar and Blaze followed her inside. Syth had her head down as they entered after her.

"No... No! This can't be it!" She said in annoyance. The other two just looked at her, not sure of what to say. She looked upon where she had been before. There was a fire place in the corner of the room that she had not noticed before.

"What is it Syth?" Resavolar asked her. She stayed in her own world, trying to figure it out and put all the pieces of the puzzle together. Blaze then spoke.

"Come on, we have to leave before time runs out and this whole rescue is worth nothing."

He was right. Syth searched every wardrobe in the room for what she wanted to find, but had no luck.

"Damn it..! Let's go then. Here, give that to me. I can use it better than you."

Resavolar noticed that she was talking about the glowing crystal in his hands and handed it to her straight away.

"Thank you... now all I have to do is this." She said to them. She poked the soft spot of the crystal. It sent a small light that showed a pathway out. Syth ran after the light with Blaze and Resavolar also following her not too far behind. They eventually made it back to the throne room. It had all suddenly gone bad. Time had continued on and they just walked into the lot of them.

"Where is she!? Where's my prisoner!?" The Red Shroud yelled. The crowd of creatures murmured to each other and from a sign in the crack of the roof of the throne room, the three of them realised their time had run out and their plan had been flawed. The two guards guarding the door where they entered saw Syth, Resavolar and Blaze and called a few more guards to grab them. They carried the three of them into the middle of the room where they were in the sight of the crowd and worst of all, the Red Shroud himself. Hopnth looked at them in shame and disappointment. He walked out, not able to take watching what he knew was going to happen to them all. The Red Shroud had an amazed look on his face. The crystal Syth was holding stopped glowing and lay in her hands. They were thrown on the hard ground right in front of the Red Shroud's couch.

"Red Shroud, these people were trying to escape with your personal prisoner." Grond said. The Red Shroud looked to him at his right side and heeded his every word. He was obviously aware of that. The thing he wondered was how they had successfully done it. He looked back to the three captives in the middle of the room. They were quiet.

"Who are you?" He asked. Blaze looked up and realised it was him who was being spoken to.

"I'm... ah, Blaze. I'm the right hand man of Lord Pyroth of Lafiraveind, your Excellency."

The Red Shroud's eyes widened. He hesitated a little before Grond spoke out.

"What were you doing trying to free the Red Shroud's servant? It's an offence against the Red Shroud Resavolar! I thought you'd be smarter and stay away when you had the chance."

The three of them said nothing. The Red Shroud took over from there. He ordered for Resavolar and Blaze to be put into the dungeons and interrogated until they answered the question of why they turned to traitors of the Red Shroud. His guards took them down to the dungeons with Grond following them. He was the one to interrogate them. Being the only one left, Syth was forced back on the couch with the Red Shroud who took back the crystal from her and personally interrogated her himself. They were back to square one and in a worse situation than before.

"Tell me Syth; how did you escape from here?" He asked. She lay quiet and said nothing. At the same time Resavolar and Blaze were both tied up in chairs in different dungeon rooms. The rooms were completely empty besides the presence of them and their interrogators.

"What are you doing here Blaze?" Grond asked him. Blaze said nothing so Grond punched him in the face. Blaze stayed strong as he went through the pain. He asked again and every time Blaze didn't speak, he punched him harder. In the similar room next door Hopnth was asked to assist in the interrogation. He asked the same questions, but not as bravely. Every time he hit his own friend, he apologised in a whisper for every hit he did to Resavolar. Up in the throne room, things were getting worse for Syth as the Red Shroud used all his power to get the truth out of her. He hit her, even did unspeakable things to her that were unbearable to watch, yet the crowd watched and cheered in the entertainment. Still she stayed strong and said nothing. She began to bleed and the Red Shroud had lost his patience.

"Fine; if you won't talk then I have no longer use of you."

She looked up at him in fear just as Grond returned with Hopnth by his side.

"Red Shroud, leave her alive. One cracked and told us everything." He said.

"Well, what did they tell you?"

Grond pointed to Syth and she knew that this had gotten worse than she had imagined.

"The crystal; that's how they infiltrated the castle undetected." Hopnth said. The Red Shroud looked at the crystal left next to his couch, then to Syth, then back to Grond and Hopnth. The crowd was silent, all listening to the news and hoping to find out what was so important about such a small crystal.

"How did they do that? What does this crystal do?"

Grond again pointed straight to Syth; her fear began to increase. She was the centre of attention and not for any reason of which she had before. The Red Shroud asked her the same question. She said nothing and was hit on the side of the face once more. Tears began to fall down her face in the pain and interrogation. She began to crack.

"It's..."

"Yes Syth? Tell me, now!"

She looked up at the roof in hope and then answered, "It stops time completely for... a certain amount of time."

Hoping that would be the end of it, she lay quiet again. The crowd muttered to one another. The Red Shroud thought for a moment and grabbed the crystal, holding the crystal in his hands. He passed the crystal to Syth.

"Show me." He ordered. Syth looked at him with a surprised look on her face. Still, she said nothing. He took hold of her arm so she could not escape, though she didn't think of doing so anyway. She hesitated as the crystal was given to her. About three guards came up to the couch and pointed their swords at her too. She looked around the room at them all.

"I do not want any more blood on my perfect couch. If you don't do it in the next five minutes then your next words will be your last." The Red Shroud warned her. She did nothing as the five minutes she was given had started to run out. She poked different parts of the crystal and nothing happened, just like before. The crystal stayed neutral and no effect of time manipulation had occurred. The Red Shroud became aggravated and thought Syth was stalling him.

"Well. Did it work?"

Syth became worried. She knew it had not worked. Everyone looked at her, waiting for her to speak, but she could not, knowing what will happen to her if she told them all the truth. Grond lost patience and spoke instead.

"Red Shroud, obviously it didn't. Give her to me. I will take care of her myself."

"No Grond. She's mine and I will decide what happens to her." The Red Shroud told him. Though he had listened to Grond all this time, he was still the one in charge. Grond could not take that from him. The Red Shroud put his head down and ordered for the interrogation to continue. Grond and Hopnth returned to get more answers out of Resavolar and Blaze.

**Chapter VII**

**One Way to Die**

As nightfall came, the three of them had given up on hope, but all was not lost. Though the Red Shroud had been turned against both of them and the Evil One, the power of the crystal knew what would happen if its ultimate secret was to be unlocked. The trouble with the Red Shroud was that no matter how much he tried, the crystal would not open and work the way he wanted it to.

"What is the progress on unlocking the secret of the crystal?' The Red Shroud asked Hopnth. He didn't look happy at what news he had and the Red Shroud became even more enraged. He ordered for Resavolar and Blaze to be brought up to the throne room so he could speak to them and Syth all at the same time. Down in the dungeons, both Resavolar and Blaze had been taken out of the interrogating cells and placed into the same keeping cell. They wondered what fate would behold them.

"What now? We failed in rescuing Syth and are now in the absolute worst situation ever!" Resavolar said. Blaze stayed quiet and said nothing. He could hear footsteps coming. Resavolar was too much in his own mind trying to figure a way out of the mess, not noticing that he was being ignored. The footsteps drew near. Now Resavolar could hear it too. He came back out of his confused and frustrated mind.

"Can you hear that?" He said to Blaze. He saw Blaze listening in. The cell door opened and Grond had come with two of the Red Shroud's guards at his side.

"His Excellency wants to see you two up in the throne room." He informed them. The two said nothing and followed Grond's order. They had no choice of doing otherwise. While being led by the guards in the assurance they didn't escape again, especially Resavolar who had already succeeded once, they were led up to the throne room where the Red Shroud waited for their arrival.

"What do you think this is going to be about Blaze?" Resavolar asked in a quiet tone. Blaze kept quiet and still ignored Resavolar. Once they arrived in the throne room, the guards with them pushed them to the middle of the room in front of the Red Shroud's couch. They were in view of everyone in the room. Grond went to the west side of the throne room and stayed out of sight of them all as he listened.

"You have broken the laws of the Red Shroud: infiltration, treachery, and worse of all, aiding and abetting in the Red Shroud's personal prisoner's escape." Liam announced. The accusations continued as the realisation came to Resavolar.

"Blaze, that's Liam. The Red Shroud sent him to Lafiraveind to aid the Evil One with the protection of the city against Pakolia." He whispered.

"Yeah so, what's your point?" Blaze replied back. Liam continued as the Red Shroud lay quiet and listened as his advisor continued with the accusations and punishment.

"Your punishment as such will be death by the Monster of the Depths in the Southern Sea..."

The look of happiness of finally being out of a jail was wiped from both their faces as they heard those very words. Syth looked as worried as them and couldn't understand how the crystal didn't work when she needed it to for her, Resavolar and Blaze's sake and lives. Liam continued.

"... or die in the lava depths of the far eastern border of the other side of the world; the hottest place located on the lands on the far eastern side of the Fire-Heat region. Decide, for no matter what choice you make, your fate will still be the same."

He finished there and Syth looked from them to Liam and up to the Red Shroud behind her. He had a half smirking, half worried smile across his creepy demon face. Resavolar and Blaze discussed their option with one another in whisper, deciding what they should do. They weighted which type of death sounded worse than the other to help the decision easier. The Red Shroud quickly lost patience and spoke out.

"I will personally give you five seconds to answer with what way you want to die. 5... 4... 3... 2..."

Blaze yelled, "Centre of the planet" before the Red Shroud got, "1". Resavolar looked at Blaze and didn't like what he had just done. The audience laughed horridly and Grond came back out of the shadows and whispered something into the Red Shroud's ear. A larger grin came onto the Red Shroud's evil face. Syth didn't like this one bit and closed her eyes for she could not bear to see what was going to happen next. The Red Shroud waited for the laughing to stop before he spoke again.

"Change of plans. You will fight for your lives in an entertainment of a lifetime. Tomorrow, we will see if the strength of you two will go as far as the will of your survival."

The crowd cheered in happiness of the entertainment they were going to pleasantly endure the next day. Blaze and Resavolar did not feel the same about this, though they were slightly relieved that their fate did not come with death in the black, lava lands; no one had ever survived that dreaded place. The Red Shroud ordered for the two captives to be taken back down to the dungeons where they would stay until the time when they would fight for their lives. The two began to wonder if they would stay alive long enough to see the end of the hell they had just become a part of. Syth had even less fun being forced; as punishment for her actions in trying to escape, by the Red Shroud to dance and entertain the crowd in worse ways than she had before.

Once Resavolar and Blaze were back in their cell, they discussed their plan to escape. This included figuring out how to free Syth and return to freedom and justice. Though they had become subjects to entertain the Red Shroud and all who would also turn up to see them fight, their hope of being rescued was not destroyed... yet.

"We have to face facts here Blaze. The Evil One should have been here by now and if he doesn't arrive in approximately the next eighteen hours we're ultimately stuffed. Our hope of getting out of this is fading. You know that. I know you do." Resavolar explained.

"Yours is mine isn't Res. I believe that if we were to die like this then it would have happened by now. The thing I don't get is-"

He was interrupted by the opening of the cell door. They turned from each other two him as he entered.

"What do you want Hopnth?" Resavolar asked. Hopnth said nothing but instead gave Resavolar a piece of paper with writing on it. Resavolar and Blaze were both confused and as Blaze read it, his own hope that he once had, disappeared and ended up in the same place Resavolar's had... lost. The writing said,

_You will be escorted to the arena at first light tomorrow. Any resistance will lead to your death on sight. Survive, and you will be set free (but that is not going to be likely). You won't (as nobody has) survive my wrath and anger in forcing you to fight until you die._

_ T.R.S_

An angry look passed Blaze's face and he read on.

_P.S_

_ Use your strength guys. Two heads are always better than one. Syth will stay where she always has been if you fail._

_ H.S_

Blaze looked back to where Hopnth was standing, but noticed he had left and the cell door was closed and locked again. Blaze examined the message further with Resavolar's help in understanding it. It took them a while. They realised that the second message from 'H.S' was more than just advice. By then nightfall was closing in. The time for them to plan their way out of this was slowly disappearing. It was so dark in the cell that Blaze had to use a secret of his to be able to see. In the darkness there was a feeling he got that felt so right.

"It is one of the Red Shroud's worst ways of cruelty to leave the people he's captured in darkness. They eventually go blind and mad from their minds opening too much. I mean that figuratively of course." Resavolar told Blaze, only being able to be seen through from the sound of his voice. Blaze sighed and just got the feeling and wish of getting out immediately. He created a small flame in his hands that lit up the room in a dark glow. Resavolar told him to put it out.

"Don't! We don't know if they're watching but if they know we have... well that, then we will get in even more trouble." Resavolar warned him. The flame was extinguished and complete darkness covered them both once more. A thousand thoughts went through Blaze's mind. He began to go mad until Resavolar hit him across the face and made him come to his senses.

"Snap out of it Blaze. That is just what the Red Shroud wishes."

Blaze hit Resavolar back for hitting him. There was a silence. Soon the conversation went into whisper so none of the guard's outside their cell could hear them.

"Should we go in there and separate them?" One of the guards asked the other.

"No. You heard the Red Shroud's orders. No one touches them until they fight in the arena tomorrow. Anyway, they will have gone mad by then anyway, and hopefully by then only one will be left." The other answered. Inside the cell, Resavolar and Blaze were listening in on the guard's conversation, trying to obtain as much information as possible; their ears up against the door. It was not long before everything went quiet and nothing at all was heard.

Meanwhile up in the throne room, the Red Shroud was organising how the captives were to be annihilated by his men. He had called all of his men, also keeping the help and advice of Grond as well. In the final decision, the Red Shroud ordered Grond to set up everything and, aware of what Resavolar and Blaze were going to be taking on, Hopnth slid out of the throne room without being noticed and headed down to the dungeons. He journeyed through the maze of corridors. The place was deserted. Many of the guards had been sent to the arena, unaware of their position for the Red Shroud's plans. Hopnth got to the cell where Resavolar and Blaze were being kept and ordered them, by the order of the Red Shroud to let him inside to 'rough them up a little'.

"We were told specifically by he's Excellency that they were not to be harmed until tomorrow." One of the guards explained. "I can go and tell him myself that you want to rough them up if you want."

"No, no. That won't be necessary. I won't be long and this conversation never happened." Hopnth said, hoping that would allow him to enter. He was running out of time. The end middle of the night was coming quick. The guard looked to the other who shrugged. At the same time Resavolar and Blaze were again listening to them from inside the cell.

"I'm sorry Mr Sandre, but we cannot go against his Excellency's orders sir." The other answered. Hopnth was insulted. He had never been called that by the guards before. Resavolar and Blaze were trying their hardest, listening to find out who this person was that the guards were speaking with, though they sound was not clear. Hopnth was running out of ideas to be allowed inside. It then finally came to him.

"Okay. If I'm lying and he's Excellency finds out that someone harmed them that was supposably, as you call it, 'going against the orders of the Red Shroud', and you get into trouble for it, I will take the blame."

Again, the guard looked to the other and put out the hand he had free and asked Hopnth to shake his hand in a promise of his word. Hopnth gladly shook it. The second guard opened the door. Hearing the sound of the knob of the door opening, Resavolar and Blaze jumped away from the door as it was closed behind the stranger and the light from the outside corridor disappeared behind him. Resavolar grabbed the stranger from behind and Blaze grabbed him from the front.

"Hey, it's me... its Hopnth." He whispered in the darkness. He was holding a thick stick in his left hand. They let go of him and he lit the torch he held in his left hand. The two squinted from the light and saw Hopnth.

"Sorry, we just believed that we could use the next visitor as a hostage and be able to bargain for our freedom." Blaze said. Hopnth looked at them in sadness. He knew what was coming and didn't, as they wouldn't, like it at all.

"That's alright and understandable. Look, here's the thing you two. What you're going to take on are the Red Shroud's soldiers firstly." Hopnth began.

"That sounds easy enough-" Blaze said.

"Understand this though, I don't have much time to talk, but if you survive that, it won't be the end of it. The Red Shroud is ruthless as you know. Being under The Redempter's influence will, and already has created chaos in these lands. The Evil One has to stop this and I fear that he, as you as well, have run out of time to make things right."

Blaze and Resavolar heeded every one of Hopnth's warnings and understood what was at stake if they fell to the ruthlessness of the Red Shroud. Hopnth knew that he had to leave before he too was caught going against the Red Shroud's orders. He knocked on the cell door three times and wished them luck for what they were to face the next day. The door opened and he left the cell. The cell door was closed seconds later and they were left in darkness. Small portions of light crept between the brick walls of the cell and Resavolar and Blaze had realised their time was up. The next morning had come. The kingdom corridors were quiet and both the prisoners had received not much sleep. The cell floor was hard and uncomfortable. There was a knock on the cell door and two guards entered. They were not the two guarding them all night. They kicked both Resavolar and Blaze awake, telling them to get up. The two were escorted through the corridors to their death penalty. They were taken to yet another small dark room and locked in there for the time being. The two had no idea what was going to befall them on and suddenly a large metal arch door opened revealing a large arena covered with sand. Around the circle arena were rows of seats where a giant number of spectators watched and cheered, and at the opposite end to where they entered were three caged doors closed in silence. Many metres above that was a platform where the Red Shroud, Grond and Hopnth stood. Behind them was a red couch identical to the one in the throne room where Syth laid and watched the action from. Behind that was a doorway that led to a series of corridors in the castle. On each side of the couch and guarding the doorway were the Red Shroud's guards. All the citizens of Flarsheroth had turned up to see Resavolar and Blaze killed. It partly felt like a great honour, except for the fact of what the crowd had come to see. The crowd cheered on as they both entered the arena. They still did not have any idea of what would now befall them. Hopnth had told them most of what was planned for them, but they knew the Red Shroud would still have one little secret up his sleeve.

"Welcome all of Flarsheroth! Today you will witness the death if the great Sir Resavolar and Blaze of Lafiraveind!" The Red Shroud announced. The crowd cheered and both the prisoners and Syth herself did not like what this was leading to. They thought it felt great to be honoured in front of a huge crowd, but the end of greatness was soon to come. Suspicion drew them both as the Red Shroud continued.

"Survive the five rounds and you have won your survival. Fail and your lives will be mine."

He put his right hand up and all around the top of the wall and the bottom of where the seats were; archers held armed crossbows, pointing straight at them.

"Try to escape and I will end your lives here and now. Got it?" The Red Shroud finished. Resavolar and Blaze nodded. The Red Shroud then called, "Begin round one!" All three caged doors opened with the Red Shroud's men running out into the open, entering the arena. They held sharp and deadly long swords.

"You ready for this?" Resavolar asked Blaze who was right at his side.

"Well if I'm not, it's been nice knowing you." Blaze replied sarcastically, though it wasn't the best time to do so. It was amazing that he could be in such a mood at a time like this. The fight began and Resavolar and Blaze did all they could using physical combat against the Red Shroud's men while at the same time dodging the sword strikes, ensuring that they were not sliced and diced early in the fight. The crowd cheered them on. They were entertained by this fight and cared nonetheless about who would come out alive. Grond on the other hand became worried that this would not work. He asked the Red Shroud about his backup plan if this one backfired. The Red Shroud whispered something to him and they both watched the fight continue. Down in the arena, time and ideas were running out and death was nearing in on the two Lafiraveind individuals.

"You got any better ideas Res?" Blaze asked. He was very tired in defeating the Red Shroud's men, coming at them as strong as they could. This was beginning to overwhelm the two. Grond grinned. He wanted this to end so badly. Still Blaze and Resavolar hung in there over the next half hour. Even the crowd became bored of the slowly diminishing entertainment. The Red Shroud finally gave in to the truth. He put his hand up and the remaining men backed off from Resavolar and Blaze.

"Well done, well done in deed. You both have proven your strength and survived for several, several minutes at that." The Red Shroud said. Both Resavolar and Blaze smiled and looked up at Syth on the couch. Their smiles were withdrawn when they realised that they had won this round, but were clearly not out of it yet. The Red Shroud's men surrounded them and they were escorted back out of the arena. The archers still held their arrows, pulled back on the string of the long bows, pointing at them. The door closed and that was all the two of them saw of the arena. The crowd retired back to the town as the entertainment was over. The Red Shroud, Yeko Grond, Syth and his other subjects returned to the throne room and enjoyed the rest of that morning. Hopnth met up with the guards and helped escort Blaze and Resavolar back to the dungeons. He knew that the Red Shroud was planning their next death penalty. He did not want to be there when it was decided. Once they were back in their cell and the door was closed, he sat outside, guarding them with the Red Shroud's men. He soon left their a few hours later, returning to his office in the barracks. Yeko was happy that their plan was going even more excellent than he had expected. The Red Shroud's mind was manipulated and I wasn't there to save them all. In his guest quarters he wrote a letter to Lord Frostbite. He tied it to a black bird and it took off to take it to him.

"There. Now that my Lord knows how well his plan is going, it's time for The Evil One to know how much he is going to lose."

He laughed in an evil voice as someone walked in.

"What's so funny Yeko?"

Yeko turned around in his seat and looked up and saw Onma.

"Who're you?" Yeko asked him. Onma said nothing and walked from side to side in front of Yeko.

"Come on tell me, who are you?" Yeko asked again. He could hear footsteps from outside his room and then another person entered unexpectedly.

"You're Excellency. This man entered my room unauthorised. Who is he?" Yeko asked The Red Shroud who came in followed by Liam.

"Don't worry Yeko, this is Onma of Pakolia."

Onma smiled as he was introduced and explained what had happened in Lafiraveind. In the meantime, the Red Shroud and his people enjoyed the entertainment in his throne room. He hoped his next plan would be the one to shut up Grond who was now beginning to get on his nerve.

"_These two had better make through my next death plan. Either that, or the Evil One gets here before I run of ideas of how to rid of them."_ The Red Shroud thought to himself. Grond was not in the throne room. The Red Shroud's took this as a chance to get some 'fresh air'. He left the throne room, leaving Syth to lie comfortably on the red couch, headed past the multiple guards patrolling the castle and the kingdom itself, to the Flarsheroth barracks. It was time to speak with Hopnth about his biggest secret.

That afternoon Resavolar and Blaze tried to figure out what plan the Red Shroud had for them next. Hopnth went to see how the two were doing. He opened the unguarded cell door, carrying a plate with food on it and walked inside, closing the door behind him.

"Hey guys." He said as he put the plate down on the ground in front of them.

"How are you going Hopnth? So, what does Frat-House have planned for us now that we survived his 'round one'?" Blaze asked. Hopnth said nothing for he did not know what was to come. They had a long conversation and once Hopnth realised he had been with them too long, he began to leave. Before he did though, he warned them to be weary of everything.

"You're not out of the woods yet. I have devised a plan to get you two out of this mess. But I don't know when to go through with it. I'll be back to tell you any new news I collect, okay?"

The both of them nodded and he left with the door partly open. This was exactly what they wanted.

"Look, the doors open... let's go." Blaze said at once, noticing the open door. Cautiously, they both exited the dungeon cell and journeyed out of the dungeons. They found a cupboard where there were suits of guards' armour. Cunningly, they changed into these clothes and disguised themselves as Red Shroud guards. Straight after that, they made their ultimate escape out of what they both called 'a nightmare that could only get worse'. Little did they know; Hopnth had left a note with their food.

**Chapter VIII**

**Everything Falls Into Place**

Believing that no one who had ever befriended Resavolar and Blaze could be trusted, Grond went to the Flarsheroth barracks to speak to Hopnth... alone. At the same time Resavolar and Blaze were also headed to the same place and soon found out what would be their biggest, and most of all, worst mistake. They walked through the streets, keeping a low profile. They made sure they were not being followed when suddenly someone pulled them both into an abandoned building they were walking past. Trying their best to break free they eventually realised that their hope had returned. They people who had grabbed them pulled their helmets off, jumping back from the surprise of Resavolar and Blaze disguising themselves as the Red Shroud's guards. They were left confused.

"Alright you two, what are you doing disguising yourselves as guards? What's going on?" One of the people asked. They sounded like a female. There were about three other girls in the room with the man who was also one of them who pulled Resavolar and Blaze inside. They were all hooded in cloaks, their faces covered in the darkness.

"Okay, we escaped."

"Escaped?!" Another female's voice gasped. This hooded figure noticed Resavolar and whispered to the person next to her whom gasped in amazement and disbelief of what she told her.

"Tony... Is that really you?" She asked him.

"Yeah, why do you ask; who are you and how do you know me?" He asked her. The three darkened figures hiding in the corner walked out of the darkness and took their hoods off revealing their Caucasian faces. The man who accompanied them took his hood off too, revealing his demon face, a scar struck across his right cheek.

"Drenacle..!" Blaze said in as much amazement as the girls were when they had seen Tony. "It's great to see you... only if I could say the same for these situations though. The Evil One is not here yet and the 'Redempter' is…"

He paused there, and then explained all that had been going on, including how they were not able to stop the darkness that now troubled the peaceful city of Flarsheroth; now a dark fortress of lies and deceit.

"At least Hopnth is on the inside. He saved us from going up against another deadly enemy that could end our lives immediately." Tony added once Blaze had finished. "What are you lot doing here anyway?"

Only one of the girls answered, this one being Madeleine.

"Onma's here. He brought us here from Lafiraveind for some reason. We tried to fight them off once they found us in the hidden room but there were too many and we were taken prisoner." She told them. A bell rang through the kingdom as it had before when there was an escape. Everyone knew that the Red Shroud had found out that they had escaped yet again. They now could not leave the abandoned building. At least they were not alone this time. Blaze hoped that seeing that Drenacle had arrived, they could get the Red Shroud back on their side. Still they hid in the building, hearing many guards pass by, searching for them.

Inside the castle several minutes earlier, a guard ran to the throne room and informed the Red Shroud that the prisoners had once again escaped. The Red Shroud was outraged. He yelled for his guards to search for them again, hoping in his soul that they did escape.

"What? That's impossible. Get every guard to search this god forsaken kingdom. When you find them, bring them to me immediately!"

Syth was relieved to hear that they had escaped again and wished she was with them. Grond left the barracks as soon as he heard the first bell ring. He and Hopnth both returned to the throne room to see what all the fuss was about. They headed past the abandoned building where the escaped prisoners were devising a plan. They thought over and over about what they should do, only to keep coming to scenarios that ended badly. Through this decision making, they stayed quiet and made sure they were not found or heard from anyone outside, especially the Red Shroud's guards passing every few minutes.

"We are running out of time guys. We need to come up with a plan before they figure out where we are." Becky said. She was losing patience and worrying that they were going to end up in the same situation as Resavolar and Blaze were originally in.

"Calm down. As long as-"

He shut up once he heard a small group of guards pass by; their armour making a loud racket and being able to be heard from a mile away. Everyone fell silent until they listened for the sound of the passing guards to slowly disappear. Once the coast was clear, Drenacle finished what he was going to say.

"As long as we don't get found, our plan; whatever it is, should go very well. We have the Evil One on his way here and three warriors with us right now. With the intelligence of the girls and power we have, we can't fail."

Though his words were very engaging and confident, the certainty and utmost truth of his very words were not. They all saw his fear in turning a lie into a truth and knew even he was not as confident as he sounded in his own words in what he believed. This did not help. He turned to Resavolar for more information about the whole situation.

"I've said all that I know Dren. All we can do is wait for-"

Another small group of guards walked past. Then once the coast was clear again...

"All we can do is sit and wait here for the Black Hunter to arrive then we can end the Redempter's ultimate plan once and for all."

The group was not happy with the sound of that and knew one downside to that plan.

"The question is how long will it be before they get here though? You two have been for how long?" Caitie asked. Everyone turned to her and Tony answered.

"Caitie, I've been here for longer than... wait, what about you? You came from Lafiraveind. That means..."

"No, it can't be. They can't be...dead... can they?" Madeleine said, hoping her worst thought was not correct. Drenacle shook his head.

"I know the Black Knight. He wouldn't let anything happen to his ship..."

He was interrupted by Becky before he could continue.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying Drenacle?"

"What is that exactly Becky?"

"That John only cares about his ship and probably left everyone, including his own twin brother for dead?"

Drenacle looked at her funny and shook his head, confident in his disagreement to her remark.

"No Becky. Not in hell has he done such a thing. What I'm saying is that he, along with his crew and guests who do not work for him personally would still be alive knowing how caring and protecting he is of the people closest to him."

Again, his words were not as convincing and the two telepaths; Buhn and Sam were not with them to know where and why the Black Knight had not arrived at Flarsheroth on time… or at the least, under late timing. The group discussed more on it just as they didn't expect to end up in something worse. An unknown stranger, alone and unarmed walked past the building.

"Who's that?" Drenacle asked in a whisper. Blaze looked through a crack in the wall and quietly called Resavolar over to look with him. Resavolar got him to move out of the way, allowing him to see. He peeked through a crack, his eyes following the stranger who stopped where they were and looked to their right straight at the building where Resavolar was watching him. Resavolar moved away from the crack and all of them listened for the stranger, hoping they not find them. Eventually that was exactly what happened, but what happened next was not smart, nor good. At the same time another group of soldiers were walking around the side of the building and saw the stranger standing outside. He began to move off away from the door, not aware of who was in the building. Not realising the danger of his next move, Blaze moved silently and slowly to the door and slowly opened it. Resavolar noticed the oncoming guards through the crack in the wall and then saw what Blaze was doing.

"No don't!" He whispered. But it was too late. Drenacle grabbed the stranger, closed the door behind him again, and Blaze, with a sword held to their neck told them to not say a word. They nodded, fearing if they did not comply, they would lose their life to Blaze. Outside, the guards had seen the stranger suddenly disappear and their footsteps fastened as they ran to the door. Everyone inside the building looked straight at the door and fell silent; hoping that Blaze didn't just blow their cover. The girls became very afraid but still stayed quiet, moving into the shadows again so they were out of sight. There was a silence and all that could be heard was the rusting of the guard's armour outside the door. The door then slowly opened and Blaze moved his sword away from the stranger who stayed where he was and pointed it towards the door instead. Resavolar and Blaze both put their helmets back over their heads to stay in disguise. The guards opened the door shining the sunlight on the corner wall where the girls were hiding, revealing them. The numerous guards entered one after the other, surrounding them all with their swords pointed at them. The stranger looked at the guards and who they surrounded and got to his feet.

"Who are you lot?" He asked them.

"I could ask you the same question." Drenacle answered. The stranger felt a little offended and asked him another question.

"Why did you grab me and what are you and these girls doing hiding in an abandoned building?"

Drenacle became lost for words. He tried to think on his feet, but took way to long. No words would leave his mouth.

"They're hiding from an assassin that they fear might be after them." Resavolar answered for Drenacle. He was away from the others and was asked to walk forward so he was in view of everyone. The stranger and the other guards believed he was a guard as well and wondered how he, as only a guard knew such a thing. The stranger asked him and Drenacle spoke before Resavolar could answer.

"We thought he might have been the assassin so I grabbed him. Once I was aware he wasn't, he wanted to stay until the coast was clear. He said he would take us to see the Red Shroud and seek refuge there. Just out of curiosity, who are you?"

"Tell me who you are, and I will tell you who I am." The stranger answered. Drenacle thought for a bit and then agreed to his compromise.

"I am Drenacle Threon of Lafiraveind." He said, introducing himself to the stranger. Blaze was smart and pretended to be a guard, pointing his sword at them as did the other guards. By this point, both he and Resavolar had realised who the stranger was, but said nothing. The girls also said nothing and just watched the continuing events. The stranger kept to the compromise and introduced himself.

"I'm General Hopnth Sandre, Mr Threon. So what brings you to Flarsheroth, beside the fact of hiding from this assassin?" Hopnth asked after introductions had been made.

"Like I said, there is an assassin who is supposably after us. We heard he was here in Flarsheroth. It would be great to speak with his Excellency, the Red Shroud and get his help and accommodation while we're here." Drenacle repeated. The guards around them looked to one another and waited for Hopnth's reply. He thought for a bit then agreed to help the people in need.

"Okay, come this way then."

Over on the other side of the planet, Lord Frostbite had received Grond's note and enjoyed the sound of it. He read it out loud to everyone in the room.

_ L. Frostbite_

_ "Plans are going excellent. I have done as you ask and another ally of the Evil One is now a subject to your ultimate and very successful plan. I have also received news that Onma of Pakolia has taken Lafiraveind. The Evil One has not arrived at Flarsheroth yet and no one knows where he is."_

_ The Redempter_

Everyone in the room laughed with him once he finished.

"Excellent. My plan is going perfectly. The Evil One has probably gone straight from Lafiraveind to here. I guess it was right... What people don't know can't hurt them." Frostbite said out loud in front of everyone including his prisoner Adma, in a thought of running victory. Everyone in the room laughed again, all except for Adma. She had been bashed in different places and was very weak. She struggled again and again to break free from the rope that she was tied in, but knew it was no use. She could not escape and felt like hope itself was slowly disappearing from Lord Frostbite's wrath and vengeance on her one love; the Evil One.

"Soon I will have my ultimate revenge and once that has been done, this planet and its people will be under my rule!" He laughed in an evil tone. Everyone who was loyal to him did the same. He then ordered for Adma to be taken care of for the time being, returning to his business as usual. Frostbite's guards came up to his throne, grabbed Adma and carried her back down into the unknown darkness.

Back at Flarsheroth, Drenacle and the girls were escorted by Hopnth and his guard's protection straight up to the Red Shroud's castle. As they travelled there, civilians watched and wondered if they had been captured, or were royal people or something along those lines. The lot of them arrived at the entrance door of the castle where two guards stood guard. Hopnth ordered them to move aside and got the guards with him in the first place to stay there as well, telling them to continue the search for the missing prisoners.

"It will be safe from here." He told them. They went by his order and he got Drenacle, the girls, Resavolar and Blaze; the only two guards asked to accompany him, to the rest of the Red Shroud's guards. The guards did not ask why he was getting the two of them to go with him and not them. What none of them knew was that there was a certain reason why and it would be their biggest surprise. All eight of them travelled into the heart of the castle and into the throne room where everyone was. Grond was the first to notice them. Hopnth walked in the middle of everyone and consulted the Red Shroud, informing him about Drenacle and the girl's predicament.

"My Lord, the Red Shroud. These people here have come from Lafiraveind and ask for accommodation in your company."

The Red Shroud looked at them, thought for a bit and said nothing. The crowd was silent and listened in on what was going on. Onma entered the throne room seconds later and saw them all.

"My Lord..." He began. The crowd turned to him as he made his way into the centre of the room, standing just metres from the Red Shroud couch. Drenacle and the girls all looked at him and realised they had just put themselves back into a bad situation from which they had escaped.

"These are my people who I brought here with me. I would like to ask how General Hopnth here came in contact with prisoners of mine who I had left on the ship until they were to be brought here."

The crowd fell completely silent, unsure of how this was going to end. About half a minute of suspense covered the throne room. Hopnth explained what happened and how they found them in the abandoned building, telling him they were hiding from some assassin who they feared would kill them. The Red Shroud listened and thought hard of what to do in this situation. He knew he would be the deciding vote. Drenacle spoke out and walked away from the girls, closer to the front of the Red Shroud and Syth on the couch.

"You're Excellency. This man has this wrong. We came by a ship of our own after this man's attack on Lafiraveind."

"And you are?"

"Drenacle Threon my Liege." Drenacle answered, playing along. Onma spoke again.

"The Red Shroud; with your permission I would like to do what I came here to do. I thought you would like one of my prisoners who I captured from Lafiraveind during Pakolia's assault of on the kingdom. You can use them for whatever you want to use them for."

Drenacle worried of where this was going and intervened at once.

"Red Shroud, don't let him! He just wants you to believe that we are actually with him and-"

"Silence Drenacle Threon and I will make my decision right now."

Drenacle fell silent. The girls had noticed a couple of guards begin to surround them and became very worried. Madeleine pointed to Syth on the couch with the Red Shroud. Syth looked over at them and once hers and Madeleine's eyes met, Madeleine looked away. The Red Shroud ordered his guards to bring the girls forward so they were in view of everyone. He stared at them as they stood before him. Yeko Grond watched and waited for the Red Shroud to say which of the girls he wanted. The Red Shroud looked to Drenacle, winked at him. He then took his pick of the defenceless young girls in front of him.

"All of them." He said. A smile was wiped from Onma's face. He was taken back from the Red Shroud's decision. He said one, not all. Grond on the other hand saw this as a chance to get luckier then he believed he was going to get in his and Lord Frostbites perfect plan. Onma thought first to speak against the Red Shroud, but then let it go. The Red Shroud looked to Onma and waited for his reply, but Yeko spoke before Onma could answer him.

"These young women will not be able to last here for as long as you would want them for. Let me take them off your hands and I will make sure they are useful-"

"No! I will not answer to such a thing. I and only I will decide the fate of them... Mr. Threon, you now work for me and find work also for these girls who are now also mine." The Red Shroud said greedily. "They are now in your service as you are in mine."

He laughed as everyone including the Redempter joined in. Syth looked so worried that she struggled a little while in the Red Shroud's arms. Resavolar, Blaze and Hopnth watched and knew that matters had turned worse than ever. Resavolar was so full of anger he ran at the Red Shroud, pulled his out sword and attempted to strike him but was beaten down by the Red Shroud's red energy blast and fell to the floor in front of the couch. Two guards came, seized him, and got him to his feet.

"Remove his helmet." The Red Shroud ordered. One of the guards ripped Resavolar's guard's helmet off, showing his true identity.

"You..!" The Red Shroud exclaimed. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Sir Resavolar. Take him to the dungeons along with my new servants." He ordered. Many guards turned up and escorted Drenacle, the girls, and the now captured for the third time Resavolar, down to the dungeons. Once there, only the girl's cloaks covering them were stripped off, revealing their Lafiraveind dresses which they were kept on to wear.

**Chapter IX**

**The Dead Lands**

Every one of them knew that they had fallen into a trap that clearly was not meant for them. Unfortunately the Red Shroud became over paranoid and not long after, Blaze was caught and ended up in the dungeon cell joining the girls, Drenacle and Resavolar. The girls were frightened and didn't like their situation at all, fearing they would soon turn out like Syth. They heard footsteps outside the cell, and then nothing. A short silence passed before the door opened and the Red Shroud entered accompanied by Yeko Grond.

"Take the men and put them in a separate cell." He said. A small number of guards entered and grabbed Resavolar, Blaze and Drenacle and carried them out. That was the last the girls saw of them for a while. Once they had gone, the Red Shroud looked at all four of the girls who looked fearful as anything. He looked to be thinking about something but said nothing. Even Grond was wondering what was going to happen to them, having a million evil thoughts run through his mind. The Red Shroud then decided not to do anything with them for the time being. The Redempter became a little annoyed to this and noticed that a bit of the Red Shroud's caring for what he called 'low-lives of the Evil One's' had come out. He then intervened to finally get to see the happiness and hope on the girls faces disappear.

"They are young. Don't let that fool you Red Shroud. They can still be useful and can still work for you in whatever way you want." Grond whispered to the Red Shroud. The Red Shroud ignored him and walked out. Grond followed and yet he still tried to convince the Red Shroud to treat them the same way he treated his other servants... terribly. The girls had feared that the men had been taken to be executed. Fortunately their fears were wrong. The Red Shroud was wasting enough time for light to return to Flarsheroth. The men were placed in a dungeon cell, located only a few cells from the girls. There, Resavolar and Blaze were wondering what the Red Shroud would have in stored for the girls. Drenacle though, didn't seem to be bothered about it.

"I can't believe you got us caught Res! If you didn't lose your temper and attempt to attack the Red Shroud, then maybe we would be able to help the girls and save them from becoming servants for him for the rest of their lives!" Blaze yelled.

"There's nothing you could've done Blaze. The Red Shroud is on our side and that means we haven't got anything to worry about." Drenacle interrupted. Resavolar and Blaze looked at him like he was crazy. He stared back and wondered why they were looking at him in that way.

"What? Come on, I know that if he had been turned against us by the Redempter's 'power of persuasion'; as you call it, then he would have killed us there and then, especially you Resavolar who's escaped him twice now."

"What makes you believe such a thing?" Blaze asked in return. Drenacle looked up at the dark roof.

"Like I said, if he wanted us dead, he would have done it by now and taken the girls for himself."

Resavolar looked away in sadness to Drenacle's words. He wondered why Resavolar did so when his words sounded of much hope and greatness, rather than depressive sadness.

"It's just that last time we were left here, we ended up having to fight in the arena… for our lives. If you didn't notice, the Red Shroud has taken all four of the girls for himself. I don't see that this is over. He'll have something worse planned for us to take on now that we've aggravated him."

"Oh." Drenacle replied.

"So we are done for now, always expecting the worst every time we end up in here."

"Oh." Drenacle repeated again. They had been kept in their jail cell for many hours as the girls were too. The Red Shroud had no idea what to do with them and hoped that the Redempter would leave so his plan could be put into action. But it seemed like that would not happen until hope would arrive. Time was running out and the Red Shroud had finally come up with his second idea of the prisoner's death penalty. Two guards, along with Hopnth came and escorted the three of them up to the throne room where they were told about their next death penalty, which was one they were assured that they would not survive. The girls were also taken there to hear what was going to happen, though Grond escorted them with a couple of the Red Shroud's guards. Once there and in front of everyone, standing in the centre of the room Liam announced their next execution.

"You have survived the first round but you will not survive the Dead Lands Canyon." Liam said. The Red Shroud continued straight after.

"You will go there to retrieve an item sorely I desire. It is a crystal that was lost by a group of my men who disappeared in there while travelling, making their way back here. If you succeed, I may change my mind and set you free. If you fail though, then it will be last time you see anyone ever again."

He laughed and all his men and subjects joined in.

"What about the girls here?" Drenacle asked. The room went quiet and the Red Shroud looked at him.

"I have something else in stored for them."

He ordered for the girls to be taken down into the lower quarters of the castle. The guys didn't like this and watched them being taken. The Red Shroud ordered his men to escort Blaze, Resavolar and Drenacle. The three were taken through the castle and out into a small courtyard on the North Eastern part of the castle. They saw a small carriage, completely painted red. The wheels underneath at each corner shined in the sunlight. One guard opened the door on the side and they were put inside together. It was big enough to fit them all in with plenty of room to spare. The windows were barred, only letting portions of light to seep through. The inside stunk like anything nasty which was the only downside to being in there.

"Now what guys? We are going to die in some place called the 'Dead Lands Canyon'! I told you he would just keep us in that dungeon cell until he wanted to entertain his people... using us to do it!" Resavolar said angrily. Drenacle ignored his remark and instead looked through the open windows, noticing a guard with two dark orange flightless dragons; pulling them with the rope that was tied around their necks. They didn't resist and looked to have been treated well enough to not care that they were being used like horses.

"Look." He whispered to the others as he pointed to the two dragons; their green eyes and large bodies flustering in the light. The other guards helped the first one place saddles on them and connected them up to the front of the carriage also just like they were horses.

"Are they ready?" A male voice asked the guard. He entered from the distance. Drenacle saw the guard nod to him. They watched and saw that the person talking to them was Hopnth. Their hopes had risen as they saw him and when the guard left and headed back to the castle out of sight, he came and spoke with them.

"Hey guys. Look, I don't have much time, so listen and listen well. The girls are being used as the Red Shroud's servants and they are unhappy about it. He's having them serve his subjects with beverages and all that. Luckily, he has let them stay in their Lafiraveind clothes but I don't know how long it'll last. The Redempter's trying to get him to become pure evil. You're running out of time and if you fail this then it will be the end for this whole world. Work together and use your strengths to your advantage... good luck."

He walked off and the guard returned, got on the front of the carriage, and with a whip, got the dragons to take off and carry the carriage to the Dead Lands Canyon. Three guards on similar dragons rode behind it to make sure the prisoners did not escape the carriage while being escorted. The three of them did not dream of attempting such an action. They had too much to stay for, mainly the girl's safety.

The girls were kept in one of the Red Shroud's bedroom quarters. They looked frightened and uncomfortable all sitting on a red sheeted bed in the large red room. Some sat on the soft bed while the others stood around, unable to sit; too worried about their situation. Lyn was most of all worried. She had seen the way Adma had ended up and how Syth looked.

"Oh no, this isn't good. This isn't good at all." Lyn said, really worried as they all were.

"Couldn't we escape? We could just walk out and sneak past them and-"

"No we can't Becky. There're guards outside the door... listen." Madeleine replied. They heard talking from outside the door and listened in before hearing the door being opened and quickly moved away from it. The Red Shroud entered the room with Grond beside him and a quite old female. She looked to be in her thirties and wore a red veil going down to her red shoes that were on her grey skin coloured feet. They walked inside as Yeko closed the door behind them.

"You four are going to know what it feels like to be my servants. Firstly, you will be serving beverages for my people at the Dead Lands..."

He got his female servant advisor to explain what the Red Shroud wanted them to do and made sure they did it well and correctly. After that, they were taken to the Red Shroud's small red carriage and put in there. The inside of it was like magic. It was an exact replica of every room in his castle. They were taken to the kitchen and left there until the time for them to work. They now understood why they were not allowed to go to see the Red Shroud with Sam and Buhn back on Mestroplosia.

"Great. We're stuck here and will get treated like nothing, serving all the people who are going to watch Resavolar and the others die. True to say, I'd rather be in their shoes than here. At least then we would have a better chance of... well you know; escape." Madeleine said.

"Be careful what you wish for." Becky replied. The female held the red plate in her hand and demonstrated what they were to do again, ensuring they had it correct. The Red Shroud was only rooms away and joined Syth and the others that accompanied the throne room replica.

"It's only a matter of time before I get what I want and it is over before the Evil One turns up here and ruins everything. I see you're going soft on the girls who you now have in your service my Lord." Grond mentioned. The Red Shroud, relaxing on his couch.

"You underestimate me Redempter. I'm going easy on them for the time being. Just be happy the traitors are captured and their end is near. I do hope you stay and watch. We'll be leaving soon." He replied in a little anger. He still got annoyed from Grond trying to push him further. The Redempter took his word for it and went and enjoyed the time they had before they would leave to see the end of Resavolar and the others. Onma also stayed and did the same. He also asked Grond about his reason for being at Flarsheroth. Grond was happy to answer to whom he knew was a trusted ally; seeing that he took over Lafiraveind and brought the prisoners to Flarsheroth, everything right down to the last detail including what he was going to do when I turned up to end the madness. Syth overheard their conversation and did not like what she heard. She blocked her ears with her hands straight away. The Red Shroud noticed her and wondered why she was. He was eavesdropping on their conversation as well. He could not believe how evil the Redempter's plan was. He ignored it as best he could but did not clearly show that it bothered him, unlike Syth.

Hopnth had gone with the prisoner carriage. The carriage had passed through a large Mountain pass. The area darkened and the sun was covered by large rock walls at each side of the pass. A few hundred metres and they entered the now open lands of North Western Thrandire. Out here, the terrain was deserted. It was a place where no trees bred and nothing but ash and black terrain covered the miles of dust covered land. This was the start of the Dead Lands. The prisoners inside looked out of the caged windows, they feared the sight of it all. The carriage continued along a straight course and after another mile or so, they had finally arrived at the bottom of a large canyon. The walls at each side went as high as the sky. It was as huge as what the three of them believed. Hopnth was afraid that this dark setting was a sign that this was how all greatness and justice would end, replaced with pure evil and darkness that would send everyone caught in it into war and eventual death. They were all aware of this and knew that if their fates did end this way, it would create the possibility of their fears becoming reality.

"_Oh lord, please let a miracle occur that will save us from this horrible fate_." Blaze prayed in his head. The other two looked at him and wondered what he was doing, noticing that he had his eyes shut tight. It was like he could not bear the sight of the journey the three had to now endure. The carriage door opened and they were pulled out into the dark, storm day. Thunder was heard just metres away but no rain poured upon them which felt like a good thing.

"Alright, this is it. All you have to do is travel into the Dead Lands Canyon, find the monster's cave and retrieve the ultimate crystal of power that his Excellency requires. Good luck and god speed." Hopnth said, pointing them in the right direction. Resavolar, Blaze and Drenacle turned toward the canyon and made their way into it.

"_I do hope they make it."_ Hopnth thought to himself as he watched them eventually disappear inside. He then took the carriage and returned to where the Red Shroud's carriage was, magically set up as an open throne room at the top of the canyon. From there The Red Shroud made the inside of the canyon be able to see by his the whole audience. They watched the three prisoner's journey through the deadly canyon. The girls also watched every once in a while, while serving drinks in red plastic glasses on the red plastic plates to the Red Shroud's subjects at the same time. All along the top of the canyon on both sides, civilians of Flarsheroth had also gathered to watch the entertainment. The girls all worried of what would happen to them if Resavolar, Blaze and Drenacle failed. How long could they last being The Red Shroud's servants? They knew they were lucky though not to be in Syth's shoes; although she wasn't wearing any shoes. Their lives were not in the Drenacle, Blaze and Resavolar's hands. Grond was very happy to see the Evil One's girls; my best female friends looking miserable as they were now unhappily in the Red Shroud's service and was paying more attention to them than to the action everyone had all come to see. Onma on the other hand could not wait to see the three of them die once and for all and watched intently. He did not want miss a thing. Syth also watched and hoped, as Hopnth did that it would not end this way. They all watched in anticipation as it all began.

Down in the canyon, the three walked ahead, passing many desecrated skeletons lying on rocks. Small insects devoured them with delight. Resavolar and the others were not as happy to look upon that. It only added to their worry of foreseeing the same fate.

"Well if that doesn't stop my appetite, then I don't know what will." Resavolar said in a sarcastic joke. The other two didn't look as impressed and ignored him. The thing was that the place was not as happy as Resavolar was trying to partially make it out to be. The three lay quiet and journeyed further, staying on their feet but keeping their cool at the same time so they did not become too over paranoid. About half an hour later, they had not come across the monster or any dangerous creatures that could have killed the dead skeletal bodies that lay around them within the canyon. The three did not talk much. Instead they stayed aware of anything that could be a threat to them. Resavolar's legs began to hurt and he sat down on a small rock free of dead bodies. The other two noticed that he was not following and stopped too, turning toward him.

"What are you doing Res?" Blaze asked him.

"My feet are tired. I just need to rest for like a minute or so." He replied. Blaze didn't think that they should stop for him but trusted Resavolar anyway. Above, everyone watched as they saw a multiple number of creatures head towards the unsuspecting three. The crowd got excited and knew by what the three prisoners were doing, that they would not survive... so they hoped.

"Now we'll see if they survive. Those Unwelog's aren't friendly at all." The Red Shroud said to Syth. She hoped that he was wrong and watched on. Back down in the canyon, the three of them had not realised what danger was on its way to kill them and instead were worrying about what they should do.

"I say we shouldn't worry about your sore legs and press on with or without you." Blaze said, getting annoyed that Resavolar wouldn't agree. He pushed him to not let the pain get to him.

"He's right Res. We stay here; we're sitting ducks and open targets. We-"

Just then, a number of four legged hyena like creatures jumped over them from a large rock nearby and quickly surrounded the unsuspecting men. Resavolar got to his feet quickly and joined the other two. There was a silence and all they could hear was the breathing of the furry, dark brown creatures, waiting to make their move and kill them. The three of them were unarmed and outmatched. This led to the worry of the girls and Syth to grow larger. Resavolar, Blaze and Drenacle watched each other's backs as they watched the creatures circle them.

"What are they waiting for?" Blaze asked the other two.

"They're waiting for an opening so they can strike. Just stay in this stance and we'll be fine." Resavolar answered at once. He was awake more than anything and made sure none got to any of them. Some of the Unwelogs jumped closer then backed off once knowing they would not get any of them, as the men were not only protecting themselves but each other. This went on and eventually the Unwelogs got bored and ran off, aware they would not have any meal this time around. This made Drenacle, Blaze and Resavolar slowly drop their guard and they pressed on with their journey. Once this had happened, the Unwelogs quickly returned, vastly separating them before they could move back into their defensive position. Blaze used his fire elemental skill to burn the Unwelogs and save the others, especially Resavolar who had no elemental power. Drenacle on the other hand used his shadow power to beat them and protect himself. Resavolar was in the biggest trouble of all and only had his hands and feet to fight them off. The Unwelogs struck at his hands and legs, biting them. Once Blaze had got the Unwelogs off of him and took on the many Unwelogs that came after him afterward, he noticed that Drenacle was fine. He made his way to help Resavolar instead. Resavolar kicked the Unwelogs in the face which just angered them further. Blaze used a massive fire blast and knocked them back but he soon became outnumbered. With all his might, Resavolar belted the two that were on him and somehow magically casted a long sword that appeared in his right hand. He slaughtered the many Unwelogs that attacked him right through to Blaze. In his amazement he used the enchanted sword until the Unwelogs realised they had been defeated and retreated at once. The sword disappeared straight from his hand and Blaze and Drenacle stood there, amazed more than anything.

"How'd you do that?" Drenacle asked him. Resavolar was more amazed than them and had no idea of how he; a mere soldier with no elemental powers whatsoever, was able to summon a sword out of fin air that saved them all.

"I don't know. It just happened when I was almost dead from those things."

"Unwelogs... that's what they were." Drenacle said.

Above, the crowd was disappointed of the prisoner's survival, yet they cheered at the action that had just taken place. The girls and Syth on the other hand were relieved and saw this as a sort of hope. As for the Red Shroud, he was not impressed or annoyed that they survived. He knew they would do it and also knew that it would be his trap that would be the part when they would fail and never be seen again. Grond and Onma were waiting for that to happen and stayed patient for they both were aware that the Red Shroud would not let them live, even if they survived the canyon. Using them to collect something was cunning, so they would die either way.

"_They will not last long now. Not even with Sir Resavolar's new ability."_ Yeko thought to himself. Onma was hoping the same thing and stuck to that. The girls watched on and as they saw the three in the canyon press on, the worst of their fears crossed their minds. Just then the crowd's view of them was suddenly shadowed and they had lost sight of the three of them. The Red Shroud got off his couch and had no idea what happened. He walked to the edge of the canyon side and used all his might to clear it, but nothing worked.

Resavolar, Blaze and Drenacle had moved on straight after just as they came to a dead end of the canyon blocked by a mountain of fallen boulders.

"What now?" Drenacle asked the others. They thought for a bit and came to a decision quickly just as they were interrupted.

"You wouldn't like to be doing that if I were you..."

The three turned and saw an elderly man holding a long stick in his left hand that he looked to be using as a walking stick. He wore a long old looking cloak over his long ratty pants and a top that covered his yellow skin. He had some sort of feathery blue coloured bird on his shoulder that just sat there. He walked over them and they looked very confused.

"Who are you guys?" The man asked them. He's grey beared covering his mouth went down to his chest.

"We could ask you the same question." Resavolar answered. The man stared straight through them with his big red eyes and replied. The bird stared too with its fleshy green eyes.

"I am Yun Soe. I live here in the canyon."

All of their eyes widened to what he said. They didn't believe it.

"What do you mean you 'live' here?"

The man looked puzzled to Resavolar's question but didn't answer. Instead he just walked off. The three just stood there until the man turned around and faced them again.

"Come... they are watching us." The bird said for Yun.

"Yes, yes, you are right Ten Gue; Come... we must go before they find us."

The three were still left confused. They followed Yun Soe. He looked to be in his eighties which made what happened next unbelievable. He held his walking stick out as he stood in front of the mountain of rocks. At that moment the rocks began to slowly tumble to the side creating a pathway that was not evident before. Yun walked off and the three followed him. They travelled many kilometres until they saw smoke rising in the air ahead. They continued, following Yun just as they arrived at what looked to be a small tribal camp hidden deep within the canyon. It was populated by many creatures of different ages that were the same skin colour as Yun Soe. The young ones were playing and enjoying themselves as if nothing was a threat to them. There were also many rocks, used as housing shelters as well as a massive guarding wall around the campsite. In different areas including outside the houses were small camp fires burning bright and strongly, sending smoke into the clouded stormy sky. The three followed Yun through the camp and into one of the houses. Once inside they looked around it. It had plenty of room and was set up like any house with aspects including a kitchen, living room with a fire place and everything. A young girl of the same skin colour ran up to Yun Soe and hugged him. She looked to be about eight years old; her brown hair tied in pig tails.

"Father, it's so good to see you. Tell me about your adventures."

"Later my dear... for now, I'd like you to meet Resavolar, Blaze, and Drenacle."

Each of them stepped forward as they were introduced and shook the young girl's hand.

"Hi. My name is Claire... Claire Soe." She said, introducing herself after they were introduced to her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Claire." All three of them replied kindly.

**Chapter X**

**Pass to the Heart of Darkness**

The three were accommodated by Yun Soe and his family and set in nicely. They enjoyed the afternoon in having a tour around the camp and being told about its origin. Yun knew that the three would not survive by themselves and helped them as much as he could for them to successfully achieve their quest.

"This is the barracks. It is where we have our suits of armour and weapons stored which are made from the very stone from inside the cave." He said. Claire was also with them and followed her father like a cute little puppy dog. They travelled to the rock wall where there was a small opening at the bottom of it.

"What's through there?" Blaze asked Yun.

"Through there is the unknown Blaze. It is where no one whom has journeyed through there has ever returned." Claire answered. They looked at her and became weary of what dangers lay ahead of them. Yun reassured them that they were just myths. That included the rumours of the monster that the Red Shroud told them about; the one that guarded the pass and killed anyone unworthy traveller.

"But that is just what myths were told... there's no proof for that to be true. Claire, stop scaring them. They have nothing to worry about." Yun told her. He then continued on with the tour and quickly forgot about what he believed was complete gibberish made up to keep people out of the Dead Lands Canyon. The sun slept below the huge rock walls of the canyon and nightfall came with it. The campsite slowly became darker, though it took the company of the Red Shroud and his people, staying on top of the canyon to meet the same sight. There came and a roar from the walls of the canyon, passing over the camp and disappearing into the darkness. The four of them were walking and once they heard the roar, the three guests turned, looked up at the clear darkened sky and had their new swords out and ready for any danger that may come for them.

"Don't worry. We can hear everything in the night of the canyon but they cannot find us here." Yun said, getting the threes paranoia to drop. Resavolar, Blaze and Drenacle quickly dropped their armed hands and returned their weapons safely back in their rightful pockets. Dinner was ready and they headed inside Yun's house.

"Excuse me Yun, but what was that roar?" Blaze asked as they sat down at the large wooden table covered with meat, vegetables and water in glasses. Four chairs surrounded the table in the middle of what looked to be a dining room. Claire didn't join them and instead played in her room. She was too young to understand what they were about to talk about even though she had been told every story that existed in there by her father. Yun looked at the three of them and knew that they were safe... for now. He wondered why they had come to such a dense and desolate place as the legends spoke about the Dead Lands Canyon.

"Why have you come here? You have said this place is deadly and dangerous-"

"Is that true, or were we fooled?" Drenacle impatiently interrupted.

"Of course we weren't fooled-"

Yun was suddenly interrupted by Ten Gue who landed on his shoulder.

"You have come to retrieve something right..?" It asked in a squawk mixed with spoken English. Yun Soe's eyes widened and he noticed by the truth in their eyes that Ten Gue had guessed correctly.

"This is true?" He asked. Ten Gue squawked and nodded its head. Yun put his head down, staring at the table. The three just stared back and waited for Yun's remark, but when none came, Resavolar questioned him further.

"How did your bird guess that we were sent here to retrieve something?"

Yun looked back up but still said nothing.

"It's a face reader that can tell what you're thinking just by staring at you." Someone answered from behind them. They turned in their chairs and saw an elderly woman enter the dining room. She had long dark hair and wore a light grey cloak that covered her whole body. The sound of her brown shoes patted across the hard ground gave away her arrival into the room.

"This is Sha'on Soe; my wife. I am the leader and messiah of this camp and she is the shaman." Yun said as he introduced her.

"So does that mean you knew we were coming?" Drenacle asked them.

"The Red Shroud sent you. You survived longer than anyone else who has been sent by that beast of a man. He's not lost and I feel he is in his right state of mind; this time. That is why you are here and not dead like the rest of them. You seek the crystal of power. I am sorry, but you have to pass through the dark pass at night to get to where you want to go."

The three became worried as she continued. "Pass and survive... look to the heart of flame that only opens the doorway into pure shadow. That is where you will find what you are looking for. Only then can you enter into the pass and retrieve what you desire."

They heeded her every word of wisdom and knew that the journey they would attempt the next day was not going to be a walk in the park.

Midnight crept over the camp and above, the Red Shroud had sent his men inside the canyon and, on his and everyone's watch, they travelled to search for the now missing prisoners. The place had torches so they could see and no one fell off the side of the canyon to a deadly peril of hard ground at the bottom. The girl's fear began to rise; thinking that Resavolar and the other two were dead and they were now in no hope in getting back to the freedom they once had. Drinks had run out and everyone was tired and satisfied. The Red Shroud let the girls do whatever they wanted; but to not leave freely. They didn't take that chance anyway, especially seeing that the place was guarded by his men. Grond knew that the Red Shroud was again going easy on them and felt threatened. He feared that his plan was being fooled. As for most of the audience occupying the top of the canyon with them; they had fallen to sleep. Syth stayed awake and was also allowed to roam around the small guarded area. She went over and talked to the girls.

"I'm so sorry that you all became a part of this. It is dreadful being by his side let alone... well you know." She said.

"That's alright. I guess it wouldn't be as bad as having to serve his subjects." Lyn joked. No one laughed and she went quiet.

"How did you end up his personal servant anyway?" Madeleine asked next. Syth looked over at the canyon. They all were quiet, wanting to hear her answer. She then looked back and asked, "Can you keep a secret?"

All of the girls around her nodded their heads. The Red Shroud noticed them in the torch lit shadow near the edge of the canyon. He lip read her words and wondered what she was going to tell them. Syth continued.

"I'm from here. I was sent as a spy to Lafiraveind to investigate the rumours that were told about the Evil One's return and how hope after so long had finally been restored."

"But how did you end up here?" Caitie asked impatiently. Syth continued again.

"On my way there, there was suspicious activity going on in Flarsheroth that my father also informed me of. With a crystal of power that can stop time, I infiltrated the very heart of the Red Shroud's castle to find out what smuggling operations were going on. Just as I saw a baby dragon being brought into the castle and the Red Shroud there, I knew this was very bad. Unfortunately though, before I could get out undetected, the effect of the crystal had worn off and I was captured. The Red Shroud didn't like what I knew and so he made his personal servant. I've been here ever since."

She finished there and they all understood it.

"I'm from here too." Syth repeated like she was trying to give something away when they all weren't paying much attention. She said it loud enough that they heard her which arose more questions.

"What do you mean you're 'from here'?" Becky asked her. Syth once again turned her head to the canyon and looked into the darkness.

"They are still alive and safe this night."

The girls were left confused and said nothing, except for Madeleine.

"What do you mean they're alive and safe? Do you know where they are?"

She kept her voice down so nobody around her heard. Syth turned her head back and answered.

"There's a hidden campsite inside the Canyon where I was born and raised. I heard that the people that live there are refugees or something from the fallen city of Sucrwet many years ago. Blaze recognized me when we met in Inflarstor. I haven't been to my people's original home, though I'd love to. Anyway, as I was saying, we stay safe from enemies due to the belief and legends that foretells that the Dead Lands Canyon is deserted... uninhabited by civilisation."

She finished there and they all talked about other things as the girls told Syth of what happened before they were brought to Flarsheroth, adding how they ended up in their current predicament. Onma in the meantime went up and talked to the Red Shroud, interrupting his gaze on reading Syth's lips.

"I'm not leaving here Red Shroud until I know they are dead and am assured that their skeletons will never leave this place."

"Don't worry Onma. There is absolutely no way they can survive through this... I have both ends of the canyon guarded and if they do retrieve the crystal, they won't survive long enough to see the day of light."

"Then where are they Shroud?" Grond asked him; his impatience now noticeable as he wanted a straight answer now that even the Red Shroud had lost his own prisoners. The Red Shroud answered him in a very calm voice.

"You two worry too much. I know they will not succeed and once we hear the cry of death, then it's over and you both will be as satisfied as much as me." He assured them. They took his word for it and slept well at about an hour after midnight. The sounds of creature's snarls in the darkness were all that could be heard within the canyon.

Drenacle and Blaze had fallen to sleep in Yun's house but Resavolar had not. He had a lot on his mind and did not know why. He was safe, alive and had an utmost confidence that no man would have in such a time. The campfires around the camp had burnt out and silence and peacefulness covered the whole place. He, on the hand did not feel that way. He seemed to be worried about his confidence being crushed in the events of the next day. He questioned himself, wondering if he was in over his head with how much confidence he had. His train of thought was interrupted when Yun came out to see him.

"Can't sleep Tony?" Yun asked. Resavolar jumped.

"How do you know that name?" Resavolar asked back. Yun walked beside him.

"I see you are troubled. The truth is easy to see if you know where to look."

"You can say that again." Resavolar replied in a laugh. Yun laughed as well and Resavolar went back to his worried state straight after. Yun cleared the shadow of night that covered the camp with his power and pointed his walking stick at the moon gazing in the sky. Resavolar looked up at the moon and partly starry, cloudy night and did not understand what he was being shown.

"They say moon shines bright every night but cannot move without the gravity of fate. Its fate is to circle around this planet. A hundred years from now it will still be circling the planet and still be able to be seen on every clear night."

"And your point is what exactly?" Resavolar asked in confusion. Yun looked at him.

"The most important things in life live forever. It depends on how important you believe you are to how long you live for. Do you think you are important in bringing down the force that now poises Firaciend, or aren't you?"

Resavolar looked unsure as Yun continued with the point he was raising.

"This is not the end. But if you doubt yourself in how important you are, then you'll disappear just... like... that."

In his three final words a cloud covered the moon. Resavolar understood him now and kept his confidence up as Yun travelled back inside the house before suddenly stopping in the doorway.

"Rest for now and you will live to see the ultimate end... oh and by the way, keep that in mind for his master Lord T.E.O."

"I will." Resavolar replied. He kept to his word for Yun's words were the wisest he had ever heard. He then followed Yun inside and got a good night sleep; although it was about morning by then, but the sun had not risen to show it.

Later the next morning, the three were given supplies and after a meaty breakfast, were farewelled. They travelled through the crack in the wall they were shown the day before, and disappeared into the true Dead Lands Canyon leaving Yun, Ten Gue and every inhabitant of the campsite behind. They feared the rumours of the monster. Yun's words in the stories only being rumours softened their worry as they travelled along the hard ground, refreshed and feeling safe.

"How are we going to do this when we get left with supplies, hand-made, long sharp swords, and shelter for half a day? These will help... until we run out of supplies, starve, and get eaten alive by the monster." Resavolar complained. The others ignored him and journeyed on into the even more shadowed darkness. Above, the Red Shroud had finally found them as they came into view. He made twice as sure that this time they did not leave his sight. The crowd watched in the return of anticipation as the prisoner's journey continued.

"This should be interesting. Like I said Grond, they don't stand a chance as long as the Monster of the canyon finishes them when the time comes."

Grond did not look too impressed and was concerned with what would happen if the three survived like they already had. It would mean the Monster would have fallen to their hands and their lives would not be changed. Keeping his true concerns secret, he stayed by the Red Shroud's side and watched on. Syth was on the couch once again and the other girls were busy serving everyone food and drinks as before for the second day of entertainment. Below, the three had come to an open area along the path they travelled. A long wooden stick stood freely in the middle. This intrigued them and it made no sense whatsoever. They cautiously walked up to it and as Resavolar was about to take a step further, Blaze stopped him.

"Wait. It may be dangerous or some sort of trap." Blaze warned him. Resavolar nodded his head and all of them stood back. Drenacle remembered what Sha'on said; _"... look to the heart of flame where you will find what you are looking for."_ He looked at the stick standing up and was confused due to the one thing he believed was missing.

"Something's not right." Drenacle said. The other two looked at him and wondered what he was talking about. He noticed their glares to his remark and so he answered more evidently.

"Sha'on said that we need to look to the heart of flame and we will find what we're looking for."

"Are you sure Dren? What about the part about the doorway that opens into pure shadow?" Resavolar added. Blaze backed him up on it.

"Yeah... What does that mean then?"

It was a wonder. Drenacle; supposably the smartest of all of them went through it slowly, trying to figure out what it meant. He repeated Sha'on's words over and over in his head. Then it came to him.

"I'VE GOT IT!"

The other two looked at him and waited for his answer.

"Sha'on said 'to look for the heart of flame that only opens the doorway into shadow!" Maybe we have to cast a shadow on the stick and then it will open the doorway."

It sounded logical but there was just one thing missing... the heart of flame which Blaze brought up. This sent them back to square one.

"That's right. I'm clueless then." Drenacle finished.

Above, everyone watched and wondered why they were just sitting around doing nothing. This just made the entertainment not entertaining. A tension was beginning to pass over every one of the girls as they wondered what the three were doing. Grond of all people was becoming so bored and impatient that he asked the Red Shroud to pull them out and have them killed straight away.

"They're not making any progress and you won't get your crystal either."

The Red Shroud ignored him and as the sun went down, luck began to rise up. Resavolar, Blaze and Drenacle all began to give up just as something happened. The blaze of the sun was blocked by the canyon and over shadowed them and every part of the canyon. Suddenly the stick caught on fire by itself and a small burning flame burned freely on top of it. Drenacle began to walk towards it like it had taken over his mind, forcing him to proceed. The other two panicked and pulled him back, but he knew what he was doing.

"This is it... the... heart of flame..." He said, struggling to break free from his two paranoid companions holding him back. They let go of him and let him walk towards it. The other two followed his lead, cautiously staying on their toes as they were paranoid more than anything... and for good reason. They got only metres from the burning flame on the stick when rocks began to fall from out of the sky on top of them. They dodged every rock and noticed that the flame still burned brightly. It was unharmed once the magical rocks stopped falling from the sky. This confused them more, but the awareness of the trap they had just walked into was complete. The worst was not over. They stood in different areas around the flame and wondered what to do next. They finally reunited with each other and consulted their current situation.

"I think we should be more careful and make sure that we don't fall into anymore traps." Drenacle said. The others agreed. It was silent again and nothing stirred in the area.

The crowd above was disappointed and the girls were still relieved, though they were not sure how long that feeling would last for. It was about a few minutes before parts of the ground opened up and the fallen rocks fell through it. In the middle of all this, the three of them watched and were very confused now that they did not know what was going on. This led them to become unsure of what to do next. They walked to the edge of the open ground and looked down into the complete darkness.

"You want to go down there?" Resavolar asked in a slight joke.

"We could press on and see what is up ahead-"

"No Blaze. This is it... remember what Sha'on said; _'pass and survive'_."

"Yeah, so what's your point?"

"So, we have to go down there. What if this is the entrance and all we have to do is go down there?"

They looked at each other then back to Resavolar. The unsure look returned again and they were lost in their thoughts. The silence was broken when the ground began to group back up and what they thought was the entrance to the cave was slowly disappearing. Resavolar acted on his gut feeling and pushed the other two into the dark drop and disappeared. The audience saw them disappear and wondered if they survived the massive drop into the darkness below them all. The Red Shroud sat back on his couch and put his hands together as he waited patiently for them to return alive with the crystal. Grond saw the Red Shroud's reaction and figured that he had this planned from the very beginning, making his current worry disappear. Onma watched the girls do the work and had a plan of his own which he consulted the Red Shroud about.

**Chapter XI**

**Heart of Darkness**

Hours had passed and inside the darkness of the cave, the three had finally woken up after the giant fall. Blaze opened his eyes and could not even see his hand he held in front of him. It was that dark. He got to his feet and hurt in several places after the drop of faith he endured unwillingly.

"Where am I?" He asked himself. Thinking on his feet and going with his first thought, he called out to the others. There was no reply and so he went with his second idea. He created a small flame in his right hand to create some light and found himself in a small room surrounded by silver metal walls and a sightless roof above his slightly sore head. He was trapped. In another room not too far away, Resavolar was in the same situation, but in more trouble. Unlike Blaze, he didn't have any ability to create light.

"_Come on, there's got to be something around here." _He thought to himself as he felt his way around the dark room. He felt his way around before finally coming to a wall. It felt like it was made out of metal. He felt it further to find an exit with no wall blocking it. Thirdly was Drenacle. He also was in a similar room as the other two, but he had strength they did not. With his power of shadow, he could see in the dark and moved wall through wall until he finally found Resavolar who was still blind and feeling the wall. He suddenly felt a hand and jumped back in fright.

"Don't worry Res, it's me." Drenacle said in the darkness. Resavolar didn't know if this was a trick or he was in luck like he had hoped.

"Is that really you Drenacle?"

"Yeah, I can see through this whole place and it just doesn't make sense. The walls are next to each other, which has created many corridors that go everywhere. Oh, and this room has no exit out." He said. The wall opposite them moved and Drenacle saw it open. He ran toward it, leaving Resavolar alone again in the complete darkness. Resavolar heard Drenacle's footsteps moving away and opened his eyes so wide that his eye balls would have been able to fall out of his head. No matter how much he tried to see, it would not help.

"Wait! I can't see anything!" He yelled out to Drenacle. Drenacle knew that Resavolar would not last if he could not see and told him to follow his voice just as he heard Resavolar gasp.

"What is it Res?" He asked. Resavolar was surprised. In the worst situation of not being able to see, he closed his eyes once more and then opened them again seconds later.

"_How...? How is this possible?"_ He thought to himself.

"What? What is it?" Drenacle asked again, hoping to get a reply. He saw a smile on Resavolar's face from his shadow sight, looking all around the corridor. Without speaking again, he saw Resavolar stare straight at him.

"I can see everything. It... It's amazing."

Drenacle's eyes widened and he could not believe what he was hearing. It was once again impossible for Resavolar to automatically be able to summon a power he never had. It did not make any sense. Drenacle did not think it was good, but went with it anyway... for now. He had no choice but to comply with this strange anomaly. There was a short silence until he looked at the wall on the right and saw someone walking through the corridor located on the other side of the wall. He ran up to Resavolar and pushed him to the side of the corridor up against the wall.

"What is it?" Resavolar asked him. Drenacle shushed him and they both went quiet. The third stranger walked around into the same corridor they were in and looked to be using a magically summoned fire in his hand to see all around him.

"Is that Blaze?" Resavolar whispered to Drenacle.

"Yeah, but that's not the reason why I pushed you up against the wall." Drenacle answered, now yelling at him. Blaze heard them and ran up to them.

"Hey guys, what have I missed?"

"I was just about to-"

Just as he was about to finish answering, he was disrupted by the sound of an animal snarling in the shadow of the corridor. They all heard it and faced to where it was coming from. It was stationed in the darkness out of their short sight. Even Drenacle could not see it, as if it had a cloaking device that made it invisible even to him. The three of them readied weapons and stayed weary in their fighting stance, ready to battle whatever it was. The snarl from whatever it was slowly slowed down and it moved into the light in front of them. It was quite large, stood on all four of its legs, and stared at them with its large, beady green eyes on a tiger's furry head. The three stared back at the furry orange body with black stripes in between that was connected to the head. The end of its white paws had sharp claws and right to the end of its long body was a long, thin tail that twitched from side to side. The three stayed where they were and waited for the creature to make its move; whatever that would be. It began to circle them and they moved and watched each other's backs, ensuring that it did not get the chance to maul any of them. After circling, it just returned where it was before and sat there, staring right through them again.

"What's it doing?" Blaze asked. His back was facing it and he couldn't see what was going on. Drenacle left the groups circling guard and walked toward the creature with no fear. The creature backed off a little, its eyes now mostly fixed on Drenacle now. It began to look curious and wonder what this person was doing.

"What are you doing Drenacle? What if it's dangerous?" Resavolar asked.

"If it was dangerous it would've tried to kill us by now. I just feel we may have found something that can help us." Drenacle replied. The other two looked at each other in confusion. The corridor had torches hanging on the sides of the walls and as the creature turned away from Drenacle and ran off, the torches lit up a glowing flame, lighting up the whole corridor. The three looked around at the torches and all that the light from them revealed.

"This is impossible. There's absolutely no way for a place to contain walls made of pure metal... in the future yes, but not in this age." Blaze said as he walked up to the wall on the left side and looked up at the torch hanging from the top corner. Drenacle looked suspicious and did not like what he felt at all. It was quiet… too quiet for his liking.

"Careful guys, I've got a feeling about something and I can tell you now it is not a good feeling."

He was right. He felt an evil presence nearby of what seemed to be something of his own power. He looked behind at his shadow created by the light from the closest torch. It moved in a strange way. Realising that his feeling was correct, he looked at Resavolar and Blaze's shadows, noticing the same was happening with theirs.

"Look out!" He yelled. Right then, their shadows came to life, left the connection with their bodies and began to attack them fiercely. It was three on three but the shadows had the upper-hand. They created shadow swords and fought the three of them with all their might. Drenacle didn't use his shadow powers, fully aware that the situation would become worse if he did. This made it harder for him but he did his best to defeat his shadow. Resavolar used his smarts and used a magically summoned light to defeat his own shadow. Unfortunately he did not think that the light would hit his body, creating another shadow that would attack him. That was exactly what happened and he was back to square one. Blaze was in trouble also and he used formed fire blasts in the shape of balls on them. The fire blasts went straight through the shadow, not affecting or defeating it. Drenacle was beginning to run out of ideas and in a huge desperation, did the first thing that came to mind. He used his shadow power to put out all of the torches putting them all again into darkness. He caught his breath and saw Resavolar walk over and join him. Blaze though; not knowing where they were, created a small flame in his hand once again and eventually reunited with the other two.

"What did you do that for? I had it all under control and now I can't see a thing." Blaze said in annoyance.

"It was the only thing I could think of that could have, and luckily did work Blaze. Like they say; desperate times call for desperate measures."

"No one says that." Blaze replied in an undertone so the other two could not hear him. It was quiet once again. They did not know what to do now that they had fallen into two traps that both of which had almost got them killed. They talked to one another and after a millennium of consult, came up with the idea to press on through the maze and keep on their guard to avoid as many more possible traps or deadly creatures that could end them then and there. They hoped for their journey to be over as soon as possible so they could get back to me, and then to the evil man behind all the events that have happened... Lord Frostbite. They all cautiously pressed on and finally got lost for good. The maze had put their heads in and they were in the worst trouble ever. In all this trouble, things just had to get worse. They got to an open area and thought they were out of the maze, only to find they had fallen into yet another deadly trap. The room was lit brightly and as they moved to the middle of it, shadow men moved in all around them. Once they had got to the very centre, the shadow men jumped down from the high walls and pillars and surrounded Blaze, Resavolar and Drenacle. The three drew their swords and got ready to battle these shadow creatures. There was a silence until Resavolar recognised the things that were threatening them.

"Wait... they're on our side." He said. The other two noticed the same thing after him.

"They're Shadow Ninja's."

"And that striped animal was a tiger!" Resavolar added to Blaze.

"What's that got to do with anything guys? Yes they are allies of ours-"

"We have entered the temple of the Evil One." Drenacle interrupted briefly. "I have heard rumours of this place's existence."

The others looked at him and he nodded in a certainty of the truth. They had just realised what they had been sent to do, but were not sure of its very consequences at the time. The Shadow Ninja's stayed in their stance and did not move to attack. The three just stood in the middle, unsure of why the Ninja's hadn't started to fight them. A short silence came over the room. Nothing stirred in it.

"What do you think they're waiting for?" Resavolar whispered to Blaze. He was as unsure as the other two and made a risky move. He walked forward just as the Shadow Ninja's created sharp swords in their hands out of shadow and pointed them at the three.

"Don't do anything stupid Res. You may know they were on our side but if they were, we wouldn't be in this situation."

Resavolar backed off and did nothing more. A shadow Ninja moved forward between them and his men.

"Who are you intruders?" It asked. The three looked to each other and then Resavolar answered.

"I am Sir Resavolar. This is Blaze and Drenacle Threon of Lafiraveind. My companions and I were forced here by the Red Shroud to find-"

Before he could finish explaining, Blaze put his hand over Resavolar's mouth and shut him up before they got into more trouble.

"We are... here to find the... tomb of the original Evil One." Blaze answered, struggling to keep his hand over Resavolar's mouth. The leader of the Shadow Ninja's looked at them strangely, wondering what they were hiding. In the meantime he trusted that they were telling the truth.

"Interesting... You have been the first people in a while to make it this far. We have seen all we need to see, but can you pass the final test?" He asked.

"What is the final test?" Blaze asked him, returning his hand from covering Resavolar's mouth. The leader did not answer. He ordered the other Shadow Ninja's to return their weapons and let the three of them go. The swords that the Ninja's held disappeared from their hands into thin air and they took off out of sight with the leader being the only one left.

"Come this way if you want to see the final test." He said. He then led the three through the rest of the maze right to their final test.

They came out of the palace to a large outdoor area where a sun blazed over them. They squinted from the sunlight after being in the temple for so long. When their eyes had recovered and gone back to normal in a matter of seconds, they looked around the courtyard surrounded by the fiery coloured stone wall.

"Welcome to the entrance to the temple of the Evil One. His master has not been around in centuries and we have guarded this place from intruders for so long." The leader said.

"What if we told you that the Evil One has returned and is most likely on his way here right now by the voyage of his twin brother's warship the Black Hunter?"

The Shadow Ninja leader's eyes widened and he looked over at the mountain that lay still in the distance under a dark storm. The sun and clear sky above them only travelled halfway between the entrance doorway to the beautiful courtyard, and the dark mountain. The leader turned back to them.

"You have to pass through the heart of shadow and survive all the death that follows. Once you have succeeded, you have passed all the temples tests."

The three nodded and understood what they had to do. They were then fare-well from the temple entrance. They walked through the courtyard, past a small opening between the surrounding walls and journeyed down the long path that led to the mountain where they're fates lay still and unknown.

**Chapter XII**

**Bigger Trouble**

The three headed towards the dark mountain where their final test awaited. They walked across the large grassy plain and up and down many hills. The cloudy sky that covered the sun's rays and cool air in the atmosphere helped them survive longer, though their feet began to go through some pain. The three rested from time to time and made sure they did not do anything stupid that could get them killed any quicker. Drenacle worried if the Shadow Ninja leader had led them into another trap instead of the final test, ending these many days of hell in worse ways than originally believed. At one point they saw creatures fly past them. They were too far away for them to know what they were as the three journeyed ahead. This place seemed like paradise. Different animals of different species stood in the fields on the hill, minding their own business from the strangers that occupied their home, allowing them to stay in harmony. Drenacle, Blaze and Resavolar had walked for miles as they saw a large forest up ahead which had not been in sight earlier.

"Do you think we have to go through there?" Resavolar asked. The other two had no idea, but one did. Resavolar thought for a little and then realised that they had not seen the forest before, even when they were on the high hill at the temple of the Evil One.

"This might be the final test."

"I doubt it Res. I don't think so." Blaze replied. Drenacle on the other hand looked to be convinced. He knew the forest that stood before them had appeared out of thin air and was special in some sort of way.

"He's right. This must be the final test guys."

Blaze gave him a surprised look and said nothing. He had been out voted. They continued into a small opening and went into the forest. Inside it were giant trees that were so big, their brown branches and the dark green leaves on them covered the sun's rays and darkened most of the small, rock path the three individuals travelled along. This only made it worse. Though the air was cool and the wet ground gave their shoes a cold feeling that helped them move along easier, the shade made it hard for them to see where they were going. They looked around and all they could see was bushland and branches covering any view of the rest of the forest that lay in semi-darkness. They continued along a path just as they came to a problem. They got to the end of the path and found that it went off in two different ways. They were yet to understand what test they had to take on in there. They questioned each other on which way they thought would be best. After a short debate, they were only led to another argument.

"If we go that way we may not survive... let's go this way." Blaze said, pointing to the path that went south and was on the right.

"No Blaze. If we go that way we may not make it out. What if it's a dead end or goes into a deeper maze like the temple was?" Resavolar argued.

"What if your way is? We don't know which way is the trap."

They stopped arguing and realised Drenacle had not joined in. He was standing there and was looking straight ahead between both paths. He could see right through the forest but only for a couple of miles. Any further than his sight was covered by something he could not see through. The other two wondered what he was doing and said nothing in the long silence. All that could be heard were bird's squawking, creatures snarling and other animals in the forest. Drenacle did not have a good look on his face. Seeing the worried look on his face, the other two knew that whatever Drenacle had realised, it was not good.

"This place is a maze. Paths go left, right and centre. The thing I don't understand is why I can only see so far and not right through to the end." Drenacle said. Resavolar looked as worried as him after hear that. He began to panic.

"WE'RE GOING TO DIE IN HERE! WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO!?" He yelled. Blaze hit him across the face, making him shut up and come to his senses. Resavolar calmed down, came to his senses, and fell silent again. They then went to their second plan. Drenacle used his sight to all of their advantage to see through the forest as best as he could, hoping to find the correct path. He pointed to which way he thought was best every time they came to more than one path. This worked until they got the heart of the forest where eventually he could not see a thing. They were in the biggest trouble they had been in for a while.

"This is it. The furthest I can see. Come on guys we need a plan, and one that will be agreed on. I don't want this to end up in another argument okay?" Drenacle told the others. They nodded, definitely agreeing with him. From the five paths lying before them, they had to choose which one to take. It was easier in one instance, for two paths headed back the opposite way which obviously meant that it would send them in circles.

"Well, now that has been confirmed, all we need to decide on is this. There are three paths to choose from. We will vote-"

"Wait. Who in this group made you leader?" Blaze interrupted him, after realising that the group was no longer led by all three cooperative deciders as it originally was.

"Yeah Drenacle, who said you were leader?" Resavolar added. Drenacle retaliated and fixed his meaning.

"I just think it is what we should do... just an idea; not an order, sorry."

Resavolar looked away in shame and apologised on his own accord. Blaze did the same straight after and they all went back to what they were originally deciding. They had just come to realise the dangers of being in a situation this long with only the company of each other. Their heads were spinning and as they chose the path on the left, began to become more confused and in danger of losing their very minds. They felt as though they had been on the same path, fearing that they were rounding in circles. It all looked the same. This did not help their hope in getting out alive. They continued along the same path for so long that day turned to night and they were left in darkness. Pressing on further through the dark of night, they decided to rest. They were worn out from walking for so long without rest. The wet rain forest stopped them from creating and keeping a living fire going to keep them warm through the night. Blaze used his fire every once in a while in the heat of his hand, but it would not last long. They got hungry so Drenacle got a large piece of meat out of the supply bag they had been given by Yun, split it into three equal pieces and ate it in the dim light of Blaze's created fire with a burning stick and his elemental power.

"Here's to a great adventure and the hope of getting through the next couple of days or so alive."

The other two nodded with Resavolar's words and not long after, the flame went out and they had gone to sleep on the hard damp ground, ready for their journey on and out of the forest right to the dark mountain waiting on the other side... so they hoped. Unfortunately they would come to realise how wrong they would be.

The next morning, Resavolar was the first to awaken. He looked around the foggy, frosty morning forest. He then felt something at the end of his feet. He looked down to find some little furry creature biting his shoes. He jumped and kicked it in its cute lime coloured bear like head. It jumped away like it was playing with him. Resavolar smiled as it still kept having a go at his shoe and he kept throwing it off with his foot. This went on until it noticed something behind Resavolar and ran off back into the forest. Resavolar, at the same time heard someone walk up behind him and turned his head to see Drenacle with a creature in his hands that looked identical to the one he was playing with; but dead.

"What's that?" Resavolar asked him in a whisper so he didn't wake Blaze who was still asleep.

"It's breakfast. If I knew you caught one I wouldn't have worried about going out hunting and killing this one." Drenacle replied in the same whispering tone. Resavolar looked at its dead body he was still holding and was not impressed.

"What? It was unknown to its fate and we get food from it Res."

"It's just that what if it's... poisonous or something like that?"

"What's all this fuss over?"

Blaze had woken up and the first thing he saw was the dead creature still held in Drenacle's hand. He stared at it for even he had not seen something like that. He was intrigued to what it was. He got to his feet, walked up to it and felt its furry dead body.

"What is that?" He asked. Resavolar still did not look happy. He believed that they were in some spiritual place and would be in trouble if any of them messed with the balance of life like a virus. He kept his opinion to himself and just let the truth unfold. In the meantime, Blaze helped cook the dead creature that was then cut up and the blood, fur, and bones were removed, leaving its meat as a tasteful breakfast. Resavolar's conscience kept nibbling at his concern and he could not forget about it. Straight after, they packed their things and got back onto moving through the forest. It was still quite dark and the time was hard to guess. The sun could not be seen through the thick, misty fog that surrounded them and complicated their choices. They kept coming to path after path and as the fog cleared from the sun now shining through the trees and helping for a bit, their luck of succeeding had become very strong. The warm wind that hit them along with the cold forest made their body's cope easier. After so many miles and different paths, they lost count. Their hope of getting out was excellent as they found an open area up ahead. Hoping it was the way out and the mountain would be in sight, they ran toward it only to find that it turned from forest to the complete opposite terrain; desert. Looking upon the several miles of sand, their hope immediately fell again from the sight of the deadly desert in front of them. The mountain wasn't in sight from any way they looked. This made them the more cautious and confused.

"What if we have ended up in some other place and are miles away from the mountain where it cannot be found? I get the feeling we're heading the wrong way and I don't like it at all." Blaze said. The other two ignored him and stayed still as they went over what they should do.

"If we go through there, we have more of a chance of dying. If we don't even try, then we fail the final test." Drenacle said, as he assessed the situation very carefully. He believed this would make their decision easier to be decided.

"What if this isn't the final test and we got fooled?" Resavolar asked.

"How can that be? I saved us from being found out about our original reason for being here when Resavolar almost put his mouth in it. There's no way the Shadow Ninja leader could've known." Blaze answered confidently.

"Tell us something we don't know." Resavolar said sarcastically. They looked over the dry, hot, sand covered desert and had all of their consciences tell them not to even think of proceeding. In this difficult decision, they decided to do what they must and made their way along the desert where they were assured they would not survive.

Many miles away, a dark stranger stood on the very top of the mountain and watched the three of them. He was covered in a black hooded cloak, top, leggings and shoes. He was somehow able to see them with his bare eyes like a hawk. The three were only about a quarter mile into the desert but would soon regret doing so. The stranger watched on, wondering how long these strangers to him and this whole place would last in the deadly desert.

"There's no way they will survive through there. My men have done very well and I don't want to see anyone else get here." He said.

"Yes sir. We will make sure they don't make it out of the desert alive-"

"Give them a chance. I want to see if they really are great warriors of Lafiraveind like they say." He interrupted the Shadow Ninja who was standing a couple of metres from him.

"Yes sir." The Shadow Ninja repeated. He left the stranger by himself who continued to watch. Not long after that, the Shadow Ninja leader arrived to speak to who seemed to be his master. The stranger turned to him.

"Keep an eye on them and inform me of anything that I would need to worry about. They have entered my land, they play by my rules." He finished. He headed back inside the mountain. The Shadow Ninja leader stayed and watched on as the three moved slowly through the desert and closer to their goal and freedom. The sun above shone upon them hotter than ever and they were beginning to lose hope and strength. The sand below them made their feet burn. The heat was harsh and all they could do was press on until one finally had enough. Resavolar could not take it anymore and fell on the soft sand first. The two noticed and returned to him.

"Come on Resavolar... we must continue on." Blaze said, lifting him to his feet with Drenacle's help. This did not help much and Resavolar was very dehydrated. He couldn't take another step. The Shadow Ninja leader headed inside the mountain to tell his master what was going on which brought the attention to more than one thing inside the mountain. Resavolar tried his best but still had become too weak to move on any further. The other two made sure he did not die in the desert, doing their best to keep him conscious. In the end they would soon realise they had made a big mistake. They sat together on the ground and waited for day break to turn to afternoon where it hopefully would be cooler and better for them also. In this time, they sat and talked.

"I knew that this would end badly. You see a desert and no matter what; it has the words 'Stay away' and 'Death' written all over." Blaze said. Resavolar was getting worse. He lay on his back, looking up at the harsh burning sun and kept almost passing out before one of the other two would shake back to life.

"Guys... just leave me. I... I can't..."

"No Resavolar, you won't die here. Not now, not ever." Drenacle reassured him in an utmost confidence. This was the worst of their worries though. There was a silence just before they heard some sort of rustling from a fair distance away. Drenacle and Blaze turned away from Resavolar's side and looked to see what it was. Their swords were out and ready. They stood cautious of what they heard as the sound disappeared. Resavolar sat up weakly and tried to see what they were worrying about just as a creature came out of the soft sand and took him in the silence of the desert. The other two turned to Resavolar who they believed was still behind them and found that he had disappeared. They were the only two left. Both Drenacle and Blaze yelled out to him. All that followed was the echo of their voices that slowly disappeared into the distance. They were left clueless of how Resavolar could just disappear like he did. Blaze ran back to where Resavolar was, digging through the deep hot sand, trying to find him. He was lost to the desert. The two walked from side to side, crossing each other as they came up with another plan. They assessed the situation once more and tried to figure out what took Resavolar; that was if something did take him. Drenacle checked the dead sands for any foot prints but even by dusk, the wind had cooled and covered their own tracks. This made their problem even more difficult. They were in the middle of nowhere, unable to find their way back to the forest. Finally nightfall had arrived and they pressed on through the now cool air that travelled the opposite way and passed through them like a thousand ghosts, creating a soothing feeling that they had not felt for the whole day. It was easier for them to continue their journey and Blaze used his fire to see in the dark, although the moon that shone bright in the clear, starry sky helped them both see anyway. There was one problem through this great feeling. Fatigue hit them soon and they had become too tired to keep going and were forced to rest. They got comfortable and went to sleep, using the sand as both a pillow and a mattress.

Resavolar woke in some bed in a bedroom chamber and sat up with a fright as he wondered where he was. He looked around the room at the rock walls, ground, and over at the torch that lit every visible piece of furniture in the room. The strangest thing was that there no way out of there. He jumped off the bed and curiously walked around the room just as the wall on the other side, opposite the bed opened into a doorway. Two men walked in and walked up to the fearful Resavolar. They said nothing and instead stood quiet without a word. Resavolar stared back at their cloaks that were the colour of black and the scarves that covered the bottom half of their black, shadow faces. They were hooded but their scarves stood out more than anything and were easily noticeable. Resavolar stayed where he was and just waited to get some answers. The open doorway closed back to a wall behind them and he was trapped again. Finally he decided to ask politely first.

"Excuse me, but where is this place?"

None of the strangers replied and he felt like he was just talking to two statues that somehow walked into the room off their own accord. He was out of ideas except for one. though his only idea was not the smartest. He did not trust himself to go through with it and instead continued to still question them.

"Hello? Come on just speak. I can't half tell you're Shadow Ninja's so just answer me."

He asked over and over but still got no answer. This was beginning to aggravate him and he went to drastic measures and with his original idea that he tried to avoid in the first place. In his growing anger, he ran at them and tried to punch them, but they sunk into the ground and came back up turning back into their normal shadow body's somewhere else in the room.

"That's not fair." Resavolar said as he continued to try and defeat them. He eventually ran out of breath and sat back on the bed. The Shadow Ninja's went back to watching him until an extra visitor arrived. Resavolar heard the wall open again and looked over to see a tall man walk in. He got to his feet at once and waited for this man to speak before asking any questions. The man was hooded in a black cloak, top, pants and shoes with his hood covering the top half of his face.

"Welcome Sir Resavolar." He said. The two Shadow Ninja's moved to each side of the room and gave Resavolar a better view of him.

"Who are you... where am I?" He asked the man.

"You interestingly have been chosen to be strong Resavolar. Your friends are very strong-"

"WHERE ARE THEY?!" Resavolar yelled in his loss of patience.

"Don't worry. They, like you, have passed. But as for one of your friends, they have destroyed a creature and will be destroyed for their actions. Stay... your friends will be with you shortly."

He finished, turned around and walked out. The doorway for the third time closed behind him. The Shadow Ninja's slumped into the ground, disappeared, and left Resavolar by himself with nothing but his thoughts.

In the sand dunes of the desert, Blaze and Drenacle were beginning to weaken. They were close to falling like Resavolar had. They kept walking as their feet hurt, sun burnt above and time passed so slowly that night would be long coming. They stopped to rest for the tenth time now and looked over the sand plains as their hope of living another minute in the hot setting was fading. They were dehydrated, weak, and did not know if they were going the right way.

"How much further is it Drenacle? Can you see anything?" Blaze asked in a few saved breaths. Drenacle tried to look far but all he saw was sand for miles. He looked back at Blaze and shook his head. They had lost one friend and with their confidence left in them, pressed on further, but it would not be enough. The worst had come. They were not fine, moving with their last breath of strength until their end had come. A huge, dark dust storm came from the south and hit them so hard they had no choice but to stay where they were. They were trapped inside the storm passing over them and they had nowhere to shelter which made matters worse. Drenacle kept moving to at least find a shelter and Blaze followed as best he could but as the storm grew, they became unable to continue and instead were unable to survive any longer like they had hoped.

"This... this can't be how it... ends. The Evil One's... work and the hope in ending all of this!" Blaze yelled out to Drenacle in his last breath before his legs weakened and he fell onto the sand. Drenacle turned and noticed what had happened and walked weakly to him.

"Stay with me Blaze. You can't..."

The storm continued to rage and they had lost their way, disappearing into the sand storm of the desert, never to be seen again.

**Chapter XIII**

**Truth Revealed**

Moments later, Resavolar was still trapped in the bedroom. On the good side of their predicament, he was alone no longer. He turned towards the bed and saw Blaze lying unconscious upon it. Resavolar ran over and shook Blaze to life. Blaze suddenly woke up and the first thing he saw was Resavolar's face. Blaze broke free from his grasp and jumped back in both fright and amazement. Resavolar just looked back at him with a big grin on his face. Blaze was stunned. The first thing he did before asking any questions was looked around the room.

"Some guys saved us Blaze." Resavolar told him. Through the wonder and happy thought of finally reuniting with one another, none of them realised they were missing something, or more like someone. Resavolar told Blaze how he passed out in the desert and then ended up where they were now.

"It was weird Blaze. Some Shadow Ninjas came in with some hooded guy and told me that you would turn up soon, but one would... wait, where's Drenacle?" Resavolar finished. Blaze remembered the sand storm and everything. His first thought that followed was that Drenacle somehow desperately survived the storm and was still out there. He told Resavolar what happened and they both came to believe the same thing. The wall opened. The man who had arrived before had returned to meet the two of them. He walked forward and they both fell silent.

"We have seen what strength you have in yourselves… but it is not our decision to whether you pass the final test or not. Come this way, this is the end." He said. He turned toward the doorway that stayed open as he walked out. The two watched but were not sure whether to follow. They had ended up in so many traps up to this point that they were paranoid. That did not help their judgement one bit. The man turned and faced them.

"Are you coming or not?" The man asked them. The wall began to close behind him. In the last few seconds, the two ran out of the room just seconds before the wall closed back up.

"That's better. Come this way and your biggest questions will be answered." The man told them. They followed him through the torch lit cave, travelling through corridor after corridor. The cave walls were dense and thick. The whole place seemed like a maze, just like the temple was. The three journeyed through a smaller open corridor before coming to a dead end. Resavolar and Blaze wondered why the man had stopped in front of a rock wall. He just stared at it for a couple of seconds. Their wonder faded quickly. The wall opened like the bedroom one had and led into a large room. They walked into the room and once in, the doorway closed back to a wall. The man in front of them changed his body form from the man into the Shadow Ninja leader.

"Welcome to the home of the Shadow." He said. The Shadow Ninja leader kept moving along the long black carpet in the centre of the room. Blaze and Resavolar noticed the large torches that lit the room. On both sides of the room, placed under the torches were black guards in black armour. They looked identical to the Shadow Soldiers back at Lafiraveind. Above all of this was a high cavern roof that extended in to the complete black darkness. Their attention was soon drawn to what was ahead of them only metres away from where the carpet ended, stone stairs led up to a throne where a dark hooded stranger sat. As they got closer the stranger looked like someone they knew.

"Scott?" Resavolar asked in his own low tone. Blaze overheard him, realising the same thing. The Shadow Ninja leader halted them before they preceded any closer to the stairway. The man in the chair looked down at them as the Shadow Ninja leader introduced them.

"Lord T.E.O..." He began. Both Blaze and Resavolar's eyes dilated from hearing these very words. It was impossible for me to be there; or even there to be a second 'Evil One'. They said nothing and waited for the introduction to finish.

"... Sir Resavolar of Flarsheroth and Blaze of Lafiraveind has come into you're presence. They have survived the final test and-"

"I know what they have done and who they are. What I want to know is why they have come here." The Evil One said. His voice was dark and mysterious, very different to mine. Blaze walked a couple of steps forward. The Shadow Soldiers put up their spears, about to throw them at Blaze. Their master and leader put his hand up. He was intrigued to why Blaze had no fear in the face of close death. The men stayed still and waited for the signal to throw their spears straight through Blaze. The man kept his hand in place then noticed Blaze move a couple of steps back to where he originally stood. The Evil One put his hand back down. The men at both sides put their spears back into their original position; holding them with the handle end on the ground; making it look as though they just were holding long poles.

"I'm sorry for any implied threat, Lord T.E.O. I just wanted to make sure that you could hear me." Blaze said. He then waited for the Evil One to start questioning them. But he did not. He was waiting for them question him instead. The Shadow Ninja leader looked from his master, to the two of them and back. The Evil One just sat in the silence before Resavolar broke it.

"I'm sorry to bother you but if you just listen we may be able to agree on something that may seem fair."

The Evil One's intrigue grew. He sat up in his chair and listened. Resavolar continued, making sure he did not say anything out of line that could get them in more trouble… if that was even possible.

"We have been forced to come and retrieve some sort of crystal..."

From hearing this, the Shadow Soldiers put their spears back up, ready to throw them at him now. They were threatened by this stranger's quest. Their master put his hand up again and the men put their spears back to their original stance. Blaze sighed in relief. The Evil One then spoke.

"You have been sent here to retrieve the legendary crystal of power? Why?"

Resavolar began to continue, but before he could he was interrupted by another person being brought into the room by two Shadow Ninja's. It was Drenacle who answered for Resavolar.

"The Red Shroud sent us here. Long story short, the war has brought the most uncommon of people from our world to yours but we have one hope. The Evil One knows who began the war and can end a so called 'Lord Frostbite's' wrath. I would just like to know who you are."

The two Shadow Ninja's let him go and he joined his friends. The Evil One stood up from his chair and thought for a bit. His men wondered why he was doing this. They watched as he walked down the stairs. The closer he got to the three newcomers, the more his men wondered. The three also wondered the same thing and when he finally got to the bottom, there was a small silence before Drenacle was asked to continue their proposal.

"As...As I was about to ask; who are you?"

"If it is true that the current Evil One has awakened, then you are allies of his. The thing is this. The final test is at hand and you have yet to pass it."

At that, three tigers ran in and surrounded the three of them and two more each went to the Evil One's side. Blaze, Drenacle and Resavolar were all defenceless with no weapons on them. This made things worse.

"I am the Evil One." The Evil One spoke to Drenacle specifically. He put his arms up at his side as they then heard a roar and the sound of loud flapping of some kind of monster above them. From the darkness, it came into view and landed behind the three of them. They turned to it and saw its big wings and large, long head, both sharp, grey horns on its head and also on its long scaly tail that all looked very dangerous. The sharp claws on its feet threateningly scared them. It was a large golden dragon. Their fear grew as they looked upon it and it stared back at them with its large, evil red eyes.

"You shouldn't have mentioned anything about being after the crystal Resavolar. I saved you once, and then what do I do? Trust that you don't make the same mistake again and then this happens." Blaze said angrily. In this time, the Evil One had returned to his throne with the two tigers sitting by his side. The stairs had disappeared. His men were up on platforms, outside the summoned arena. The three tigers had also disappeared and all that was left were the three of them and the vicious dragon that would now decide their very fate.

"You have come before the legendary Dragon Master!" The Evil One spoke out loud up in his chair. He patted the tigers by his side as he watched their possible demise. The three turned to him and knew that they had fallen into a fourth trap and the hardest one of all. They still had no weapons and had no idea if this dragon was a threat that would try to kill them or not.

"Please Dragon Master; it doesn't have to come to this. I'm sorry for being sent here to get something so precious to you."

"It is not me who decides your fate Drenacle! I may be the Dragon Master, but this dragon is the only one that cannot be controlled. Unfortunately for you, it has a mind of its own."

Drenacle's eyes widened from hearing the Dragon Master's very words and turned to Resavolar and Blaze who both had their eyes fixed on the dragon that stood before them. It roared loudly and its sharp white teeth were seen along with its large dark pinkish tongue. It moved closer towards the three of them. They got ready to fight. As the dragon flung its tail around violently, their thought of getting out alive began to fade. They stayed weary of the dragon's movements until it was only metres from them.

"Have you got any bright ideas guys?" Resavolar asked. The dragon roared again and Blaze shot a fire ball right at its face. The dragon just fired it back at them with an added flame from itself own mouth. They jumped out of the way and were separated. This was good and bad for them as the dragon was outnumbered and had no idea where two of the three of them were at one time. In Resavolar's fear, he summoned a sharp, long sword out of thin air and swung at the dragon's front left leg. The dragon moved as best it could and got lucky, hitting him back.

"We have to work together to defeat it!" Blaze yelled out to the other two. He was right. All they had to do was look at the bigger picture. That was easier said than done. The dragon kept breathing fire at them as it tried to keep up with them. It used its tail to hit them away from where it couldn't defend itself which made it harder for them to defeat it any faster. The Evil One watched on as the fight and carnage continued. Things became very tense for him, his men, the dragon and the three people it was trying to kill. The dragon tried its best to kill them with its claws but couldn't keep up. Resavolar kept slashing at its body. It did not help them nor affect the dragon's health and rage. This went on until finally the Dragon Master had enough. The dragon noticed that he was not happy and flew back up into the shadows. A calming silence fell and Resavolar, Drenacle and Blaze were left in the middle.

"Well done, well done in deed. I see your strength goes further than anyone I have ever seen. Confidence, bravery and-"

The dragon returned and almost landed on all three of them just as they jumped away in time. It began once more but this time multiple tigers jumped in as well to make things even harder. There was a short silence and the tigers slowly moved in on them as the dragon stayed where he was.

"You got a plan Drenacle?" Resavolar asked him. Drenacle did the first thing that came to mind and turned back to the Dragon Master to reason with him.

"Dragon Master, listen. If you can get this dragon to leave we can come to agreeable terms that we will both be happy with."

The dragon tried to claw Drenacle who jumped out of the way. Drenacle continued with his reasoning. Resavolar and Blaze had more concerns as the tigers circled them both and separated each other.

"It's just like when we had to fight those Unwelogs." Resavolar said as he tried to find an opening. Resavolar had a weapon which was one good thing but Drenacle had none. He could have been able to use his shadow attacks, but the creature was too big. He knew all too well that the Evil One would have made the dragon impenetrable to such attacks. He was the only one faced by the deadly dragon. He for some strange reason was its main target to kill. Blaze shot fireballs at the tigers and eventually got through to help Resavolar who was in the same predicament as he was before. The Evil One did not like this. His own favourite pets had been burned. Blaze was about to get to Resavolar who looked to be fine when he heard Drenacle's voice.

"Blaze he's fine... Help me!"

He went to Drenacle's aid and was, as Drenacle was, now faced with the dragon as well. It stared down at them both side by side. The dragon roared again in its anger that grew even more.

"You ready for this?" Drenacle asked Blaze. Resavolar watched as he saw the heat of the dragon build and about to burn them both. Drenacle and Blaze were aware of it and just waited for the time to come when they would dodge its attack. They would then run at it as it would be unexpected to their next move before Blaze would shoot fire balls at it as Resavolar would then stab it in the back. That was their plan. Their only fear was if it had not worked. Drenacle looked to Blaze next to him who nodded and then they both looked over to Resavolar who nodded back at them. The dragon had no idea what they were going to do. It took a swipe at Drenacle, then Blaze who both dodged the dragon's claws. Drenacle decided that now was the time to act. He created a shadow shield and Blaze shot continuous blasts of fire through it at the dragon. This distraction gave Resavolar the chance to run up, dodge the dragons swinging tail and get onto its back. The dragon suddenly realised it had been tricked and swung its body around, trying to throw Resavolar off. He struggled to stay on its back with all his might until he finally got his sword and stabbed it. The dragon gave one last loud roar and fell to the ground. Resavolar couldn't keep a hold on the sword struck into the dragon and rolled off. The crowd was quiet. Resavolar got to his feet and joined the others. They heard clapping and turned to where it was coming from. The Evil One stood up from his chair, a smile across his mouth revealed under the hood. The stairs had appeared again as he walked back down to join them again. His men returned back on the ground floor and stood with their spears pointed up as they were before. The tigers had gone and the only two left in the room were the ones that stayed with him, sitting at each side of his chair at the top of the stairs.

"Well done you three. Taking down one of the most dangerous dragons in these lands is very brave and bold. You have passed the final test." He said as he joined them. The dragon behind them began to move and got to its feet. The three turned and got ready for what they believed was round two. The Evil One told them the fight was over. Resavolar's sword in the dragon had disappeared into thin air again.

"What do you mean? We just defeated this beast but it just got back up which means-"

"It means you have passed the test. You see, this is my dragon."

The three turned back to him in surprise. The Evil One explained everything just as the dragon interrupted him.

"I am Kayrone, the legendary golden dragon of Firaciend. This is my master and rider The Dragon Master who also goes by the name of 'Black Fire'. I know of the war that began from the rumours. The Evil One is no threat without the power of all of the crystals." It said. Its mouth didn't move and Black Fire explained, seeing three of them taken aback by all of this.

"Kayrone, like all dragons communicates through thought. In other words he has the power to speak outside his mind so others can understand him."

Kayrone nodded his head. Drenacle then questioned them.

"If you know about everything that's going on, then why are you here instead of up there where we come from where you can stop the war that is about to begin?"

"Because, the Evil One has awoken and it is his destiny to end what Lord Frostbite started, not ours. Our destiny is to protect what is his, just like it was your destiny to come here. Everything happens for a reason. The reason why you have come here is to find out the truth of it all. Take this, it will buy you enough time and the Evil One will be with you soon." Black Fire answered. He handed them a small silver crystal. Resavolar took it and Kayrone nodded to them again. Drenacle looked worried and wasn't sure whether taking something so precious to the Dragon Master would be such a good idea. He did not understand why they had been sent here. Kayrone knew what was bothering him and Black Fire asked him.

"What seems to be the trouble Drenacle?"

Drenacle froze and wondered why Black Fire asked him such a question. He took a while to answer.

"I just wondered why you trust us. The Red Shroud has been turned against the Evil One and his allies. If we give this to him we may never see Lord T.E.O again."

Kayrone shook his head and rolled his eyes at Drenacle's words.

"Only someone of pure heart and reason of the crystals use can use it. If The Red Shroud has been turned then neither he nor the Redempter or Onma Scorph will be able to access its ultimate power. By the way, inform the Evil One that his enemy is gathering forces and will soon outnumber our last hope." Kayrone finished. The three acknowledged his words. They were farewelled by Kayrone and Black Fire as the Shadow Ninja leader escorted them back out to the entrance of the mountain.

"They had better tell his master about our warning. The Evil One has no chance without an army." Black Fire said to Kayrone as they watched the three disappearing into the heart of the cave.

"Yes, I know they will. They are his only hope in ending what Lord Frostbite began. Time is running out and soon we will be there at the end." He replied.

It was dark inside the cavern. Only with the light of Blazes flame could they see through the cave tunnels. The three just felt like they were in the Temple of the Evil One. If they were alone without the help of the Shadow Ninja leader, they would be lost in the cave forever. That was the upside. The Shadow Ninja leader led them tunnel through tunnel and it took forever for them to get back to the entrance. After walking for several minutes, seeming like about three quarters of an hour, they made it and saw the light at the end of the tunnel that led outside into the dead of night. The moon shone on the land like a massive flash light and showed the land as clear as daylight.

"You must go on from here back to the temple. Don't worry; we will make sure nothing harms you in that time."

The three gave an unsure look but trusted the Shadow Ninja leader nonetheless. He farewelled them and watched as the three disappeared into the dead of night. Resavolar, Blaze and Drenacle made their way down the stone track in the hills of the mountain. They were careful not to fall off the edge. The entrance was quite high from the ground below. As they continued their journey back, they wondered how they were going to get back seeing that the way they got to the temple was from being dropped into a massive hole. Getting back that same way seemed impossible. The sight they witnessed of the Evil One's peaceful underworld was amazing. Morning came and they still walked along the path and were awake more than anything to see the wonderful sunrise. As they got to the bottom of the mountain track, the sun peeked over the horizon of the hills, hitting the temple on the top of the hill. The forest between it and the mountain had disappeared. That was relieving. It was a few hours after sunrise. They came to a grassy plain that went for miles up a giant hill. It wasn't that steep but it was a challenge they had just come to encounter.

"Are we supposed to go up their?" Blaze asked. They all stared at the hill and none of them realised that they had got back to where they were days earlier. They decided to climb the hill, figure out where the temple was and go from there. Different animals occupied these plains in a harmony like none other and were not bothered by these strangers that slowly travelled through their home. The three of them climbed the hill and in a last breath and a mile or so later made it to the top of the hill right in front of the Temple of the Evil One. Their faces lit up and they walked inside. The entrance closed up and they were left in darkness again. Blaze lit up the temple with a flame and they wondered what to do next. They were told that all they had to do was go back to where they had come from, but it did not make sense of how that could happen. They were confused and unsure of what to do now that they had done what they were advised to do and returned to where they came from.

"What do we do now?"

Resavolar, who still had hold of the crystal thought for a bit. He then looked down at the crystal and closed his eyes.

"Res, what are you doing?" Drenacle asked him. Blaze looked at Resavolar and noticed the same thing. Resavolar said nothing. He just had his eyes shut tight like he was hoping for something to happen.

"Resavolar, nothing's happening. It's not working, okay?"

Resavolar opened his eyes again and stared at the other two in disappointment. They were trapped and as they were tired after a long day, continued through the dark corridors before returning back to the room where Blaze had fallen into the temple on their first arrival.

"Now what do we do?" Resavolar asked.

They looked around the room and tried to figure a way out. For some reason Resavolar again looked at the crystal like it had taken his gaze and he did not know why. It was like he had some kind of feeling it would help.

"Res, stop worrying about the crystal. We need to figure out how to get back to the Dead Lands Canyon." Drenacle said. He and Blaze were circling the room trying their best to figure it out but had no luck.

About an hour or so had passed and they were out of ideas. It seemed impossible and even worse. They were getting tired.

"Let's just get some sleep for now and try again when we're better and can actually think." Drenacle suggested. He was more tired than the other two.

"Will one of us guard while the other two rest?" Blaze asked him. Drenacle looked around and saw no danger through the walls. He shook his head. They got their blankets out and lay on the hard ground as they went to sleep. While they were, the crystal glowed and the three of them disappeared again.

**Chapter XIV**

**Second Chances**

Resavolar lay in his sleep; though he wasn't completely asleep. He made sure the crystal was kept in his arms through to the next morning. He felt very comfortable... a little too comfortable to still be on the floor in the temple. He was covered over with a sheet and as he felt for the crystal he kept a hold of in his arms the night before, he came to realise it was not there. He jumped up in a fright and got an even bigger fright once he saw where he was. His first sight was of a bedroom in some house made of rock. It looked so familiar. He looked around a saw a young girl sitting next to the bed. She smiled at him and then ran out. He was not sure where he was and just sat up in the bed, waiting for the girl to return. She eventually did not long after with Yun Soe behind her. At that moment he realised that the young girl was Claire.

"Good morning Resavolar. I see you retrieved the crystal and made it back safe and sound." He said. Resavolar could not figure out how he went from the temple to there. He began to ask but was suddenly shushed by Yun. He was told to rest. He watched as Yun and Claire walked out before he did as advised and lied back down again. He did not understand why Yun asked him to rest some more. He thought he had rested enough... and what about the crystal? Did it have enough power to take anyone over like in one of those Middle Age movies where there was a power too powerful to be controlled by any mortal who tried to wield it? All this was on his mind as he got some more sleep. In the meantime, Yun examined the crystal and tried to figure out the extent of its power. It took Yun hours and Resavolar had even woken up again by then. He walked into the dining room and just watched Yun examining it.

"Have a good sleep Resavolar?" He asked. Resavolar jumped. He thought he had been silent, like a cat prowling in the night, believing Yun did not know that he had gotten up.

"Yes, thank you very much. How-"

"How did I know you were right behind me? I know as much as others do themselves. Your friends have gone out. Come, sit."

Resavolar sat with Yun at the dining room table and still watched Yun until he looked up at Resavolar.

"What did you see in there?"

Resavolar looked at him funny just as they were interrupted.

"Yun we have problem. We have received word from Ten Gue that the hunters that went out this morning have disappeared." He said. His green eyes were more fixed on Yun than Resavolar. He looked quite tall, had bushy brown hair and was wearing a brown top, pants and shoes under grey chest, arm and leg armour.

"Thank you for informing me General Acret." Yun answered. At that same time Ten Gue flew in and landed on the table in front of them.

"Yun sir... men entered the Dead Lands Canyon and captured all of them including Drenacle and Blaze..! It was terrible." He said, catching his breath from after flying such a long distance.

"What did these men look like?" Resavolar asked immediately. Ten Gue gave him a description that in the end reminded him of people who he knew.

"They were men of the Red Shroud." He informed them. Ten Gue, Acret and Yun all looked up at him. Resavolar took the crystal off of the table and walked out. Yun yelled for Resavolar to return, saying that it was too late. By that time Resavolar had already left. He got to the entrance to the camp site where two of Acret's men ordered him to halt. This was on Acret's order and gave him the chance to speak with Resavolar.

"Listen to Yun, Resavolar. There is no way to save them now." He told Resavolar. Resavolar did not listen. He would not give up now. He pushed through the two guards in his way a walked off into the deadly canyon.

"Follow him and make sure that crystal stays in our possession." Yun said, meeting Acret there. He nodded and led a small number of men out of the camp site, following Resavolar's trail.

The Red Shroud's men had successfully brought back Blaze, Drenacle, and four other men wearing the same clothing as Acret back to the top of the canyon. The girls were very happy to see that they had returned safely. The only downside was that they had not come with the thing they were sent in there to retrieve, or Resavolar. They began to fear the worst. Onma was surprised by this and came up with a plan to make sure he was not defied by the Red Shroud. Grond looked most unimpressed and wondered what the Red Shroud's next way of killing them was going to be. Two of his plans so far had not worked out. The one other thing across everyone's mind was the presence of these extra individuals. Syth was not happy at all. She noticed the men and feared the worst would come. The secret of the Dead Lands Canyon would soon be out. One man noticed Syth and whispered to the one next to him. Syth motioned with her head, warning them not to say a thing of it. They understood and looked away from her. The crowd gathered around these new prisoners and watched.

"Where is it?" The Red Shroud asked them. His men who brought them looked at the prisoners, waiting for one of them to speak. They said nothing. The Red Shroud asked again, a little more angered now.

"Where is the crystal?"

"You'll never see it Shroud. It is in the possession of-"

"Who are these other people and where is the third prisoner?" Onma butted in. The Red Shroud immediately realised the same thing. One of the three original captives was missing. At first, he believed Resavolar had perished. The looks on Blaze and Drenacle told otherwise. They had not been sad or distraught. He could not figure it out and took his anger out on his men who had captured them.

"I told you to get all of them! The missing one probably has the crystal... that is if he is not dead now!" He yelled out loud. His echo travelled through the canyon itself where Resavolar even heard it. The Red Shroud fell silent, trying to figure out what to do. His men and subjects knew this was not what the Red Shroud had originally planned. The girls became worried and looked between the captives and Syth on the couch with the Red Shroud. She would have been deafened being that close.

"Onma... volunteer to go in there and find him." Grond whispered. Onma looked at him who nodded back. He did not agree to it and replied, "Why don't you do it then?"

"Because I'm only meant to make sure no one; including T.E.O himself will come between the Red Shroud and save him from me turning him against the Evil One. You on the hand have only come with those girls who you gave to serve the Red Shroud."

"I only expected him to take one like I said." Onma replied. Unlike him, Grond knew that the Red Shroud was a man who wanted more than he needed.

"I still stand by what I said. At least you don't have to worry Onma. T.E.O won't get anywhere near them. You don't need to worry so much."

Onma saw that as a fair point and took Grond's word for it. He still feared the danger of the canyon nonetheless. The Red Shroud's very men went missing and who knew he could've be next. He did not want to risk it. The Red Shroud then asked Drenacle and Blaze who the other people were that were with them. One of the men came forward in front of all of them. He looked up at the Red Shroud with his blue eyes. The Red Shroud stared back at his bearded face. The man answered.

"We accompanied these two after you traitor of The Evil One sent them in there to retrieve something which is what you will never see-"

The Red Shroud felt most insulted from this and ordered his guards hit him in the back of the head with the blunt end of their sword and shut him up. He and another guard then both then grabbed the man by the top of his arms and carried him to the edge of the canyon. Drenacle spoke out at once.

"Wait!"

The guards stopped and waited for the Red Shroud to finish the order. He then asked what Drenacle had to say. Drenacle continued.

"We can get the crystal for you. Just don't kill this man. He doesn't know what he's saying."

The Red Shroud ordered his men to let the man go. He returned back to the other three soldier's side. He was relieved that Drenacle saved him and that the evil Red Shroud agreed to spare his life. The other men stayed quiet as the Red Shroud thought whether to trust Drenacle's word or not. He did take into consideration that they had more to lose; the girls, their lives, and all that they had fought for up to this point.

"Fail to retrieve it and it will be the last you see of these people you so dearly care about. By the way, bring back Resavolar as well."

The girls did not like the sound of that. They began to worry that Drenacle and his party would fail and they would be the Red Shroud's servants for the rest of their lives. Drenacle looked to each of the girls around the group and winked at them. He knew what he was doing, although if his plan did fail, he would have a lot to lose. He trusted in one thing though. They had gone to the centre of the canyon and come out as allies to its master. Blaze on the hand was not as sure. The group were all sent back down to the entrance of the canyon; escorted by Hopnth and three of the Red Shroud's men. That was where they made their move. Hopnth and the guards with him watched and waited for them to go back into the canyon. The area where the Red Shroud and his large audience were watching soon had a reoccurrence. Their view of the group was once again overshadowed and the Red Shroud could not see a thing. He stood up from his chair in anger. The crowd watched as once again the view had been shadowed and the Red Shroud was again blinded, not able to do anything about it. The girls began to worry as they had before. Their last hope of being saved seemed to vastly begin to disappear... so they feared. Onma and Grond looked down and knew something was wrong. Down at the entrance, a dark shadow covered over the captives, guards, and Hopnth. They looked up as a group of men jumped over the rocks in view of them all; their long bows with arrows pulled back on the string pointing at them all. They looked around as they were now surrounded and outnumbered.

"Drop your weapons." General Acret ordered them as he came forth.

The Red Shroud's men dropped their weapons.

"Drop them." He said to Hopnth specifically. He was the only one who had not dropped his swords. He slowly did and Resavolar came into view and joined them. He looked at Hopnth who shook his head in a warning. Drenacle and Blaze did not notice though but Resavolar winked at them both and quickly tilted his head to Hopnth, signing to them about something. This told them to keep Hopnth's secret that he was on their side. Acret's men surrounded them. Drenacle, Blaze and Acret's captive men joined Acret's side. He then asked Hopnth to come forth seeing that he looked to be the leader of the Red Shroud's men,

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" He asked. Hopnth said nothing and one of Acret's men hit him in the back. He ended up on all fours and Acret asked again.

"Who are you?"

Hopnth looked up at him and answered.

"General Hopnth Sandre. I was sent here to send these two back in to retrieve the crystal the Red Shroud desires."

Hopnth's guards looked at them and wondered what was going to happen to them. They were fearful as anything and knew they were not as much value to their captors as Hopnth was. Acret was intrigued and knew the Red Shroud would need Hopnth; a great General of Flarsheroth, which would make him a good bargain. They took them all back to the camp for the time being. On the way Resavolar was happy to see the other two alive and asked them what happened. Acret joined their conversation as they made it back to the camp. As the group got back to the campsite, Hopnth and the guards looked around the place in disbelief. They could not believe such a civilised camp site existed in such a place. They looked around the camp in amazement. The locals in the camp stared at them as Acret's men led them to a cave. Inside, there were many caged cells set up in different parts of the cave made out of strong wood. The cave itself was quite large and fitted Hopnth and all of his men inside one of the larger cells. Acret returned with Resavolar, Blaze and Drenacle who went to Yun's house to inform them about their new captives.

At the top of the canyon, the shadow had eventually disappeared at the entrance to the Dead Lands Canyon and what finally was in view was... nothing. The whole area was completely deserted. There was no sign of any of the people who took Drenacle and Blaze back down to the canyon... not even General Hopnth. The Red Shroud became more enraged and thought hard of what to do. He had lost his General, captives, and three of his guards in an instance. Fear drew over his face and he began to become paranoid.

"_I knew I shouldn't have brought them here. They brought Hopnth into this. My plan worked... but didn't work."_ He thought to himself in anger. He went over it again, trying to get to the main cause, but just could not. Grond saw the Red Shroud's fear and knew that this whole plan had gone downhill from the very day the captives were sent in there. He became suspicious as he remembered when the same shadow occurred the first time. He began to put the pieces of the puzzle together and then talked to Onma. Syth saw the two talking and wondered if they had figured out what only she and the girls she had told knew. The girls talked to each other as well and feared that Drenacle and the others had been lost to the canyon yet again. The Red Shroud sent some more men down to the entrance, ordering them to report back with what they had found while protected on his close watch. Aware of the missing occurrences, they were cautious to abide. The headed down the long hill and The Red Shroud continued to watch their progress.

"_The canyon will not have any power over me."_ He thought in confidence. The three guards of the Red Shroud had made it safely to the entrance to find out where the people had disappeared to. The Red Shroud kept his watch on them. The men looked around, searching for any signs that told them where their men and captives had gone. After many hours of search, they returned to the Red Shroud with their news.

"Well? Where did they go?" He asked. One of The Red Shroud's men walked ahead of the rest. They were all surrounded by the audience in front of the Red Shroud lying peacefully on his couch with Syth. He waited for their reply and silence quickly covered the top of the canyon. He lay quiet until finally losing patience and asking again in a little more anger.

"Where did they go?"

"We... umm, don't know."

The Red Shroud's anger grew and he was lost for words. Both Grond and Onma felt the same way. It was excellent that Drenacle and Blaze were lost to the Dead Lands Canyon, but the crystal had as well. The dark shadow was inevitably unstoppable and it was hard to figure out what caused it. The Red Shroud, also thinking about this remembered back to the day of darkness with the Frierursh and Shadow when I put up a huge shadow that protected very part of the T.E.T Corp tower. That was the cause of all that happened afterwards.

"_The Evil One can't have done this...twice... It's impossible."_ He thought as the vision of the power of the Evil One being brought forth to protect my threatened home back in the future. The Red Shroud went over it and finally realised what he must do. He got Liam to grab everyone's attention.

"Listen! I know this is not how this was supposed to happen and if it is true that they have all been lost to the darkness of this very canyon like so many before them, then it is over and we must return back! Hopnth will be mourned on the way back." He yelled as his voice went lower when he said the last part. Grond's smile turned to a frown and he of all people knew it was the Red Shroud's worst choice to leave at this time. The Red Shroud's mind had been made up. The girls became worried more than anything now. They heard a sign that they would be serving the Red Shroud for the rest of their days. Syth saw their misery and knew how they felt as she did, though she knew the secret of the shadow that had everyone puzzled. The Red Shroud's throne turned back into a carriage and he, Syth and his subjects inside enjoyed themselves as it was carried by the same flightless dragons that carried it there, and headed all the way back to Flarsheroth.

Drenacle, Resavolar and Blaze told Yun about their new situation. Hopnth and the Red Shroud's men were kept in the cave, wasting away until their captors knew what to do with them. Hopnth looked out of the cave through the wooden bars and wondered what was going to happen to them. His even bigger wonder and worry was what the people had done with Drenacle and the others. He was the only one on his feet in front of his fellow men.

"We can't let this be the end. Whoever these people are, they never knew the ultimate power and strength of the Red Shroud's men." Hopnth said to himself. One of the men overheard him, asking soon after what he was on about. Hopnth turned to him.

"I've got a plan to get out of here. Our enemy has shown us their complete base. All we have got to do is break out of here unnoticed-"

"Someone's coming." Another one of the men warned before he was heard. Hopnth looked to the entrance of the cave where Acret and Drenacle had entered. There were two guards guarding the cave entrance. He could hear them asking what they wanted then Acret and Drenacle came up to the cell.

"Let the leader out." Acret ordered. One of the guards opened the barred door and Hopnth walked out as Acret's guards grabbed him. They walked out to the entrance with Hopnth where two other guards grabbed Hopnth and took him with Drenacle and Acret. The two original guards returned to their place, guarding the entrance of the cave. That was the last the Red Shroud's men saw of Hopnth for a while.

"What do you want with us? The Red Shroud is frustrated and if he knew about you villagers and this place, you wouldn't last his very wrath." Hopnth said confidently. The people ignored him and Acret ordered one of the guards to knock him out. The next thing Hopnth knew, he was tied up in a chair in a dark room inside rock house. He could not see far in front of him and only window let the light of the sun through. He could tell from the sun that he had been unconscious for a few hours. He looked around in fear through the darkness where a familiar friend emerged in front of him.

"Hopnth, we know you're on our side. We have received word that the Red Shroud has left the Dead Lands Canyon and we need your help." Resavolar told him. Hopnth's fear grew to the sound of his abandonment by a man who he was very loyal to. Drenacle came forward in his view next. Hopnth looked up at them both, and then Blaze thirdly who appeared out of the darkness in the other end of the room.

"Look, if it's true that the Red Shroud abandoned us, I am no longer useful to you lot. If he finds out I helped you escape then he will have my head. I can't."

They understood what he meant and knew that in their time of need, they needed someone to help them; someone who knew their enemy better than they did. The girls were in trouble, the Black Hunter was days away from even being in hope of saving them and they were stuck in the Dead Lands. They left Hopnth in the room and returned to Yun and Acret in the dining room of Yun's house.

"Well? What did you get out of him?"

They looked at the two dead in the face and Resavolar spoke.

"He's an ally to us and the Evil One..."

Acret's eyes widened.

"What? He's lying! What makes you believe such a thing?"

"We know that for a fact Acret! He helped us escape and try to save Syth-"

"Syth is with the Red Shroud!?" Yun interrupted quickly. A surprised look crossed both his and Acret's faces. Acret left Yun's house in a hurry straight after. Claire overhead them and walked in.

"Syth's alive?" She also said.

"Claire my dear; please, leave now." Yun asked politely.

She did as she was asked and left the room, returning to her bedroom. The meeting continued. The three were amazed and thinking back to how they were caught from trying to rescue and free Syth, realised one little detail that they had missed all this time.

"She lives here!" Drenacle said at once. Yun nodded his head.

"She's Acret's daughter." Yun said. Guilt drew over their faces as they realised what he said. Yun noticed it and told them not to feel bad.

"We all thought she had died. He just went to tell his wife about the good news."

They forgot about their guilt soon and saw their information as a good thing. They then went back to their main matter... what to do with Hopnth and the Red Shroud's men they still held captive. They returned to Hopnth to interrogate him further and get more answers. Fortunately for them, Hopnth was happy to oblige and told them all he knew.

Acret went to his house on the other side of the small camp site. It was set up in similar ways to Yun's house. Acret walked inside and looked around the house.

"What are you doing here?" Someone asked, standing behind him. He turned and saw his wife. She looked to be such a beautiful woman. She was shorter than him, had long blonde hair, green eyes, wearing a long green dress. He looked at her and she felt he had some bad news. A tear went down her cheek as she stood there in the doorway, waiting for his reply. He went up and hugged her hard.

"Reachia; she's alive... Syth's alive."

She was speechless and pushed him away in disbelief.

"How..? How do you know?"

"Resavolar said she is. They tried to save her from the Red Shroud. I know. It's hard to believe, but it's true." He said. She returned to his arms and began to cry a little. Acret comforted her. It was the only thing he could do. It had been so long after they had mourned her possible death. She left his arms and wiped her nose on her left sleeve. She was still quite unhappy. Both Acret and his wife headed back over to Yun's house to get more answers. They barged in, interrupting the four's meeting in the dining room.

"Yes Acret?" Yun said at once, being interrupted by their arrival.

"Where is she?" Reachia asked immediately. The four of them all looked at them funny.

"Sha'on is in the bedroom with-"

"No, I'm talking about Syth. Where is she?"

They went quiet and she stood in front of them, waiting for an answer. They stared back at her before Acret pulled her away. She had tears running down her face in lost hope.

"Come on dear, let's go. I'll inform you of where she is when I hear... I promise." Acret said, comforting her still. She had heard that Syth was in the hands of the Red Shroud. She just did not want to believe it.

**Chapter XV**

**Desperate Measures**

In the dark room, Hopnth overheard the yelling and his eyes widened from what he had just heard. He too had not realised it until that point. This was interesting. He figured that their next plan would be to go to Flarsheroth and trade him for Syth and the girls, get them back and hopefully by then take out the real cause for the mayhem that had happened so far... Yeko Grond. He pushed himself up to the door and listened in. He wanted to know if they were able to come up with an effective plan that would work.

"We go to Flarsheroth with our prisoners. That will get us into the Red Shroud's castle. Then we bargain for Syth and the girls or else we kill their general."

"That had better be a bluff Acret." Resavolar interrupted quickly. He's tone in his words were heightened in a little anger. He did not like that part of the plan. Hopnth was relieved when he heard that Resavolar was caring of him. Yun shut the group up and whispered, "He's listening."

"Who's listening?"

Yun quickly shushed Resavolar and then continued. Hopnth listened in harder and then suddenly got a surprise from the door opening. He hit to the hard ground, still tied in the chair. All five of them walked in. He looked up at them and said nothing. Acret pulled him back up and they surrounded him. They too did not say a thing. Resavolar began to question him first after about half a minute of complete.

"How much did you hear?" He asked. Hopnth did not answer, standing his braved ground. He was punched in the face.

"What was that for?" He asked. Acret shook his own head a couple of times after punching Hopnth. Resavolar was unsure of why Acret did that, but still played along and asked again; his tone sounding more annoyed. Hopnth still did not answer. Acret punched him again, making his nose bleed a little this time.

"Is that all you've got? I have taken on worse than this from the Red Shroud." He said bravely and sarcastically. He punched him again, this time by Resavolar. He knew what Hopnth wanted. Drenacle and Blaze looked at Resavolar in amazement. They had never seen him do something like that to a friend; especially a friend as close to he as Hopnth was. They asked Resavolar to meet them outside so they could talk to him in private.

"What was that? I've never seen you do such a thing." Blaze said first. Resavolar ignored them. He knew what he was doing.

"Can you trust me?"

They looked at him and did not say a word. They were both in disbelief. He continued.

"He wants us to do that."

They looked at him with even more disbelief.

"What? If we don't make it seem like we're crazy interrogators that will go to the furthest lengths to get information out of someone, the guards won't be scared."

That sounded like a good point to them both. Drenacle however raised one other issue.

"If we take him back all blooded up like that then he won't be any use in trading for Syth and the girls."

Yun came out and joined them.

"The Red Shroud's not going to like the look of him thanks to Resavolar. He looks worse than ever. I'm not certain he'll be tradable to him anymore."

Drenacle and Blaze gave Resavolar a stern look which he did not like. He began to feel guilty from his actions. He then stood up for himself seeing that no else would.

"Look, the reason why I did so was because he gave me a look that told me he wanted me to punch him... and not one where he looked like he could take it and didn't care about his own life, but a look that meant 'trust me and do it for your own sake'."

The others still looked at him strangely and thought he was going crazy. Every word he spoke made them think it more.

"I mean, I thought he'd want me to rough him up like that so his men didn't think we were easy going interrogators... you know?"

He finally made sense and Acret lastly came out to see them. He had closed the interrogation room door again. He had not heard a word, meaning Hopnth had not either. Resavolar went back in there by himself. Acret tried to follow but was pushed back out. He did not trust Resavolar being in there alone with who he thought was a traitor just like the Red Shroud. Drenacle and Blaze trusted Resavolar and that was all Yun needed to know to agree with them. Inside, Resavolar slowly walked up to Hopnth who was blooded up and weak in the chair.

"What was that look Hopnth?" Resavolar asked. Hopnth said nothing and kept his head down. Resavolar asked again and once again grabbed him by the chin, turning his head up to look into his enflamed eyes. Hopnth could see his anger.

"The smallest signs show the biggest things." Hopnth said in a low tone. "I can help you, but you also have to help me."

"How do I do that?"

Resavolar took his hand off of Hopnth's chin and turned away. As he opened the door and was about to walk out Hopnth spoke.

"I need to get back to Flarsheroth with the Red Shroud's men."

Resavolar closed the door again and turned back to him. He was not enthused about punching Hopnth the first two times but felt that this time he would not care. Hopnth looked up at him.

"I can help you get the girls back... and Syth. You need to trust me. They won't know you helped, but I know how to get them back."

One part of Resavolar's mind was telling him to trust a well known friend, yet the other part was telling him not to, knowing that it would lead to the betrayal of his friends. He went over it in his head and Hopnth wondered if he was going to be on Hopnth's side or betray him in not betraying his allies.

"I'm sorry Hopnth." Resavolar finally answered and he walked out, closing the door behind him. Hopnth understood his choice but then wondered what was going to happen to him now that he had provided all the information he had. Resavolar met the others outside who were all talking amongst one another until they heard him.

"Well? What happened?" Acret asked. Resavolar did not answer and just walked through them and out of Yun's house.

"I wonder what that was all about." Ten Gue said, happily perched on Yun's shoulder. Once Resavolar was out of sight, two guards arrived and entered the interrogation room. Minutes later they carried Hopnth out of Yun's house. As he passed the dining room, Hopnth looked over at the group and knew he needed more time to convince another one of them to listen to his plan. The group stared back and gave him nasty looks except for Drenacle and Blaze. They just stared at him and felt sorry for the way he looked before returning back to their conversation of what their plan was going to be.

"There is no way in hell the Red Shroud will let us have both the girls and Syth for Hopnth looking like that. We're doomed and the only way we'll get them back is through..."

Drenacle paused for a bit, afraid to finish what he was about to say just as Resavolar had returned and walked up to join their unfinished meeting.

"We need to trust Hopnth. I know he will help us."

The others did not seem convinced, especially Acret. He felt that like the Red Shroud, Resavolar too had become brainwashed by one of the enemy's sinister agents.

"Resavolar, even though I do somewhat believe you that he is on our side based on the truth that he helped you, Drenacle and Blaze escape from the Red Shroud so many times and gave you advice that helped you get the crystal, I still don't trust him."

An argument broke out before Yun silenced them.

"Look, if we argue then the less likely we'll be able to fix this problem and figure out what to do."

They all looked at him and agreed. Resavolar walked off again over to the cave.

"Why does he keep doing that?" Acret asked.

"Unlike you he trust's Hopnth. They have been good friends for ages and he won't let such a thing as your judgement stop him believing." Blaze answered. Resavolar walked to the entrance of the cave where he was stopped by the two guards guarding the entrance.

"Let me through please." Resavolar asked politely. Again Hopnth was told by one of the Red Shroud's men that someone had arrived, drawing his attention to the cave entrance and away from his companions. He turned and saw Resavolar which made him intrigued by why Resavolar had come alone. Had this been hope come true? The guard let Resavolar in and he went over to Hopnth.

"You scum aren't going to escape. This place is guarded by powers you couldn't possibly understand." Resavolar said bravely. The Red Shrouds men got to their feet and joined Hopnth's side near the front of the caged cell.

"Bring him out." Resavolar said. None of the guards did anything. Hopnth looked at him in no fear whatsoever as he's and Resavolar's eyes met.

"Bring him out." Resavolar repeated, not taking his off of Hopnth. Realising that none of the guards were listening to him he turned to them just as Hopnth pulled his hands through the bars and grabbed Resavolar. Resavolar tried to budge but could not break free. Hopnth had him held tight up against the bars of the cell. Hopnth whispered into his ear just before the two guards went up to help Resavolar. One blew a horn. Acret and the others all heard it. They too ran over to the cave to find out what was going on. They got to the entrance of the cave. Their first sight was of a ruthless Hopnth holding Resavolar's body up against the bars and a couple of archers holding their long bows, arrows pointed at him, waiting for the order to shoot Hopnth down.

"Hold your fire!" Resavolar ordered in a couple breaths while being strangled. Acret, Blaze and Drenacle ran up next to the archers and wondered what to do, not mention why Resavolar didn't tell the archers to shoot Hopnth from the sides of the cell. They would be able to kill him without harming Resavolar. There was a silence and no one did anything. Acret ordered for two archers to move around each side of the cell and to shoot him down from the side where Resavolar was not as an effective human shield.

"Let him go and your betrayal and actions won't be as severe Hopnth." Acret warned. Hopnth did not listen and still kept a hold of Resavolar.

"He won't last long, just like you." Hopnth answered. Resavolar asked him to let him go and when Hopnth did not oblige, he feared that Acret was right about Hopnth the whole time. But all the things Hopnth whispered into his ear in that time was clouding that very thought. Acret put his left hand up and the archers on the sides pulled their arrows back on the strings of their wooden bows, pointed them at Hopnth and waited for the final order to be given. Hopnth was trusting in something that knew would help him. He had helped a friend and proved that he had not turned against them. In this, he hoped he would be saved. Resavolar put his hands up and ordered them to stand down.

"Don't do it! He will use them to escape!" Resavolar yelled, trying to buy some time. He too had a plan of his own. Acret did not listen and threw his hand down. The archers shot the arrows and just as Resavolar had warned, Hopnth dodged them as they hit Resavolar instead. Resavolar suddenly realised his warning was wrong and Hopnth had betrayed him to save his own skin. Everyone, including Acret was all left stunned. Resavolar dropped to the ground and Blaze grabbed him before he hit the ground. Acret looked very annoyed.

"How is that possible!? Those arrows weren't aimed anywhere near him!"

Hopnth shrugged his shoulders and stayed where he was with a huge smile on his face. Acret looked at him fiercely; his anger growing. Hopnth looked to have no fear. Blaze and Drenacle grabbed Resavolar and carried him out to the ward on the other side of the camp. Resavolar looked weakly at Hopnth who nodded his head up as he watched him leave. That was all Resavolar had remembered for some time. He passed out seconds later. Acret ordered for Hopnth to be taken out and taken back to be interrogated more for his rash and harsh actions towards Resavolar. The guards opened the cell door and went to grab him. Hopnth went to his next plan. He moved around the guards. The archers shot their arrows at him but he dodged them and then jumped behind Acret, grabbing him as a new human shield. Acret stayed still as he knew that he was now in big trouble. The archers kept their arrows pointed but did not shoot. They were too aware that Hopnth would make their arrows fly straight at Acret just like they had with Resavolar. Yun stared at him just as Hopnth gave him orders.

"Let my men and I go and Acret here will live."

Acret struggled but stayed still so he did not do anything that could get him killed any quicker. Yun ordered for the Red Shroud's men to be freed as he stood near the doorway. One of the guards opened the cell door. The Red Shroud's men walked out and joined Hopnth's side that still had Acret held hostage.

"Show me the way out Yun... not only out of this hidden camp, but also out of the canyon itself." Hopnth ordered further. Yun agreed and led him out. The people around watched in fear for both Yun and Acret's life. They had never witnessed anything like this. The archers followed closely and waited for the right time to shoot them. Drenacle walked out of the ward and saw what was going on. Blaze noticed it next and they both knew this was not good. It was bad enough Resavolar had been taken hostage and almost killed, but Acret now? This was overkill. The worst part was that they could only watch as the captives and now hostages disappeared out of sight.

"What is Hopnth doing? We could've helped him without him going this far." Drenacle said.

Yun got to the entrance of the canyon and said, "This is it. Now for your part of the deal... let him go."

Hopnth did as Yun asked and pushed Acret into them as he and the Red Shroud's men ran off into the distance through the Dead Lands. The archers waited to shoot them but Yun did not make the order. He let them go. They had no bargain any longer. Acret however gave the order but the archers did not listen abide his word.

"What are you waiting for? Kill them!" He yelled. Yun shook his head and Acret gave a big yell in his anger before he asked, "Why did you let them go?"

"Because Acret, they are following him. We will get Syth back. I promise you. You just need to be patient."

Acret looked back at him and put his head down.

"I'm sorry. It's just-"

"I know. Like I said, just be patient. I trust that we will track them easily." Yun assured Acret. Acret gave a confused look and they headed back to the camp. Upon their return, Drenacle and Blaze asked what happened. They returned to Yun's house to talk about their next plan and agreed that they would put it into action when Resavolar was able to go with them. They needed all the help they could get. For the time being they stayed where they were and waited patiently for that time when they would once again have Resavolar by their side. By his state though, it was unlikely for that to be soon.

**Chapter XVI**

**Hope, Truth and a Plan**

Days passed and Resavolar was not looking good. He lay unconscious like he was in a deep sleep from which he could not awake from. Drenacle and Blaze both watched him and wondered if he would ever come back from the close dead. They feared this was the end of Resavolar's life but controlled their feeling of grief so it did not get to them. Acret soon entered the room.

"How is he?" He asked in a low voice. They looked back at him and put their heads down. Acret saw that they believed what he always had. Hopnth was just using them to escape, leading them to believe he was on their side until he got the chance to get one of them and create the perfect escape.

"I told him Hopnth couldn't be trusted."

"You think it was Hopnth that is the reason why he's unconscious? You ordered them to shoot even though Resavolar warned you that he would use that to his advantage!" Blaze yelled. Acret looked away from him and at Resavolar.

"Can I have moment with him... alone?"

Drenacle and Blaze walked out and left Acret with Resavolar. He went and kneeled down by Resavolar's bedside.

"Hello Resavolar. I'm sorry about all this. If you can hear me, we need you." He said, still speaking in a low tone. He looked hard at Resavolar to see if he was even moving, but he was not. He was in a very deep coma and could not come out of it anytime soon. Acret sat there on his knees. He did not know what else to do. Resavolar was hurt, almost killed and it was his fault. He allowed for Hopnth to escape as well. He left the room and met Drenacle and Blaze outside. They said nothing to him, speechless. Yun turned up and spoke with the three of them.

"I know that you do not want to lose him, or leave his side. You will soon come to realise that a time will come, a time when you will have to choose."

He walked off and left the three of them to think about what he had just said. Drenacle looked up and got headed back in to where Resavolar was, leaving Blaze and Acret to talk. The area around them was quiet. The camp site people did their own thing. Blaze finally spoke minutes later after avoiding Acret's presence.

"I'm sorry for blaming you." He said. Acret looked at him and replied.

"Don't be. You're right on all counts. I made a choice and lost so much from it. I just wish that he was dead, him and his friends. Knowing that he was with the man who has Syth, it... just, gets to me." Acret finished. Blaze knew how he felt. I did not understand Acret truly until now. Moments later, they joined Drenacle watching over Resavolar.

Resavolar looked around. He was in some strange world that was so familiar to him. He was at the front gate of Flarsheroth and could see the Red Shroud's carriage coming back from the Dead Lands. He moved out of the way as it passed him and headed up the steep hill to the Red Shroud's castle deep inside the Flarsheroth kingdom.

"_What is this? It's strange. How can I be here when my body is back at the Dead Lands?"_ He wondered. Just then he thought of something that scared him. He thought back to when he got hit by the arrows.

"_Oh no... No, I can't be... dead. Can I?"_

"You're not dead._"_ Someone answered in his head. It sounded so clear in his head, yet it felt like it was outside his head. He could not figure out if the voice was in his head or outside it. He looked up the hill. To his surprise there was a person standing there. He was not sure if this stranger could see him. It just stared his way. Suddenly, the hooded figure turned its head up and looked straight at him.

"Who are you?" Resavolar asked. The setting of where he was standing immediately changed and he went from being at the front gate of Flarsheroth to the inside the Red Shroud's castle throne room. It was crazy and Resavolar did not understand how he was travelling around so fast. If he was not dead then how was it mentally possible for his spirit to be where it was? The Red Shroud, his guests and everyone had returned. The Red Shroud went on with his normal business. There was one difference though.

"_I guess they failed. I was a fool to choose to send them in there, knowing all too well they wouldn't survive. Grond has forced me to destroy what I am still on the side of, turning my back on them."_

Resavolar heard the Red Shroud's voice say those very words but saw that his mouth did not move. It was like he just read the Red Shroud's mind. This was getting more weird and scary for him. This made him believe further that he was dead. It was the only logical reason that made sense to the situation. The Red Shroud thought some more as he looked over at Grond on the other side of the throne room with a hidden disgust.

"_All this is because of him. The traitor who I have made to believe has turned me against Lord T.E.O. Only if he knew I never would. Why do I keep thinking that for? Resavolar, Drenacle, and Blaze had better get Hopnth back. He is the only one who can help them now."_

Resavolar's eyes widened and he could not believe what he was hearing, yet a part of him still could. He's mind was in conflict. He trusted that Hopnth was on their side, but the RedShroud as well? It was hard to believe since all of the terrible things the Red Shroud had put them through.

"_Talk about two for two."_ Resavolar thought to himself. The thing he did not understand at this point was how his mind got here and if this confession of a guilty Red Shroud was true. He looked around and saw the girls also serving the Red Shroud's guests beverages. He knew this was no dream, but did not know if he would have been able to go back to his body and back to life like he wished. The unknown voice returned.

"You know what you must do. Find your way back and hope will be restored."

He was then taken to some part of the Dead Lands where Hopnth and the Red Shroud's men were slowly continuing through.

"We're almost there men. Just hang in there." Hopnth said, although thought, "_Hopefully we don't get back and are getting tracked by them. Hopefully Resavolar's alright. I wonder if he'll ever forgive me for what I've done." _

Resavolar looked back and said, "I trusted you from the very beginning Hopnth, and now that I know about everything; the Red Shroud being on our side, your plan to lead us back to Flarsheroth, I know you had to do what you did."

Although he said this, he knew he could not be heard. He watched them move along and out of sight from where he was standing before closing his eyes. His sight went dark and the next thing he knew, he was suddenly awake in a ward seconds later. He looked up at the rock roof as he lay on a hard bed under a green sheet. None of his friends were in the room and he could hear the sound of people doing different things outside. He patiently waited for them to return when he would tell them what he had seen. He did not know for sure if he just imagined everything he saw and heard, but still knew this would help them nonetheless. Doubt returned and he wondered more.

"_All of it could've just been based on my time at the Red Shroud's castle for all I know."_

He quickly forgot about his doubt and remembered back to all that he and his friends had been through.

"It's true! Yeko Grond made the Red Shroud come up those many ways to get rid of us." He quietly said to himself in a sudden epiphany. He sat up in the bed just as someone came in and caught him.

"Resavolar, you're awake. Guys! Guys! He's awake!" Acret yelled, running out of sight. Resavolar sat there and knew where Acret had gone off to. He waited for them to return, expecting all of four of them to come at once. Not long after, they all came in, one after the other. Drenacle, Blaze, Acret and Yun walked into the ward in that order and gathered around his bed. All were happy to see him alive and well.

"What?" Resavolar asked them.

"Don't you remember what happened? How are you...? I mean you're even sitting up like nothing even happened to you." Drenacle said. Resavolar smiled at him. Even he was amazed that he was so well he could go to Flarsheroth right then and fight the Red Shroud himself. Yun was not as amazed as the other three were and understood the reason why Resavolar looked so fine. He explained.

"Resavolar, I believe the reason of your survival is from how long you have been exposed by the crystal. I'm not saying I'm an expert, but it is the only possible answer for it." Resavolar thought back to what he saw in his coma. Getting a picture of it all in his head was a struggle but the memory itself was as clear as day.

"I saw something. Something that is very interesting." Resavolar began. He then explained everything. After a few words in Yun shushed him and told him to rest. He asked everyone else to leave while he rested. Again, he did as he was advised and watched everyone leave before lying back down and getting some more sleep.

On the path in the Dead Lands, Hopnth and the Red Shroud's men continued as they slowly made their way back to Flarsheroth.

"How much further is it General?" One of the Red Shroud's men asked Hopnth. Hopnth looked up the path and wondered the same thing. The path went for miles and the even worse part was that they did not have any food or water to survive the journey along dead oasis land, as it felt like. The dead, leafless trees made hardly any shade for them to hide from the harsh burning sun above. Their thought of survival was even less likely. Their second night came around and it felt more like they would not last long. The cool breeze helped a lot but their low number of food made them begin to become hungry through a growing pain.

"_Don't worry Hopnth. You can get through this. Just not much further and you will be back at Flarsheroth, where the Red Shroud can send his army into that death of a place, have his ultimate vengeance on who wronged him and get what he sent them in there for. It'll soon be time when they will get the biggest surprise of their lives."_ Hopnth thought to himself. The second Red Shroud's soldier created a small fire and they all sat around it.

"What do we do sir?" The third one asked Hopnth. Hopnth looked at the three of them.

"As soon as we get back to Flarsheroth, I will inform the Red Shroud about our enemy's master plan to get their friends who are now in his clutches, and wait for their arrival, and then last but not least capture them all. They have no leverage to get free and we will have them right where we want them." Hopnth answered in confidence. In the back of his head though, he hoped all too much that his very words were not the end of everything both he and the Red Shroud made sure would not happen. He quickly forgot about what he said and continued straight on with their plan for the next day. Soon after, the fire went out and he went to sleep. It took a while for Hopnth to get to sleep while the Red Shroud's men guarded him. They were tireless and could stay awake for ages. He remembered back to the day before when he forced the arrows at Resavolar. He did not know why he kept thinking of it. So much guilt crossed him as he saw the look in Resavolar's eyes. He suddenly woke with a small fright just as the third Red Shroud soldier came over to him. They were surrounded by what they thought was Acret's men. The Red Shroud's men had their swords out and looked around the dark plain. Hopnth joined them and also had his sword drawn, ready for them. They watched each other's back but nothing happened. They stood there on their guard, waiting patiently. It was like they were alone but a strong gut feeling of the second Red Shroud soldier made them know they were not. After standing their ground for a while, they eventually dropped their guard and went back to what they were doing before. Hopnth knew this meant they were beginning to lose their minds which became more serious than they had first thought. Any longer in this mayhem and it would mean the end of them and their plan to stop the Red Shroud from being kept under control by the Redempter.

Time was running out for the group back at the camp. They were unknown to how far the Red Shroud's patience went and at their meeting the next day, new information had been raised.

"I'm telling you. What I saw while I was unconscious was no dream. The Red Shroud is waiting for the Evil One's arrival and we will then have a chance at getting Syth and the girls back."

"There's just one problem with that Resavolar. We don't have anything to trade." Acret said, bringing back the factor that they had lost their ultimate leverage over the Red Shroud.

"What I'm saying is..."

He paused and looked around the room for something. He could not seem to find what he was looking for and so he expanded his search out of the meeting room in Yun's dining room. Yun knew this was his time to say something.

"Okay, I didn't want to say this in front of Resavolar but I believe that the natural powers that he has begun to have is no coincidence. I have examined the crystal that is now in a secure area and figured out that Resavolar has become too exposed by the crystals power. Soon it will most likely become his very life line."

This did not sound good and to Yun's luck, Resavolar returned just he had finished.

"Where is it?"

"Where's what?" Drenacle asked.

"The Crystal of Power I mean. It is what we can use as leverage over the Red Shroud now that my judgement-"

"Ha!"

Everyone looked over at Acret.

"What?" Resavolar asked him after he was interrupted.

"You have become too obsessed with that crystal my friend."

Resavolar looked back at him in disbelief. Everyone else nodded in agreement. He could not believe that he had been turned against them for a reason he did not clearly understand. He stared back and said nothing. Yun put his head down and Resavolar knew that he knew what the others knew.

"What is it Yun?"

Yun said nothing. There was a short silence before it was broken by Drenacle who confessed what was going on. Yun didn't stop him and Resavolar listened carefully.

"Resavolar... this whole obsession with this crystal is affecting you more than Yun thought in the first place."

Resavolar was still in disbelief and as he looked around the group again, they all nodded in agreement.

"What do you mean it's affecting me? Just because I was looking for it and made sure it was in safe hands the whole time we had it? Now you're saying that's where I'm all of a sudden getting special powers from?"

"No. You have been too exposed to it which has led to a connection where you have control over it. If it's destroyed, it could kill you too."

Resavolar overcame a little fear from hearing that and was speechless. He remembered back to the days he spent in the Temple of the Evil One and the strange powers he suddenly controlled when he wanted it to after caring for the crystal.

"_Oh. God no! They're right! Oh damn it." _He thought to himself, and then he said, "What? We can't use that as leverage now."

The room went quiet. He stared at them as they still looked at him. He realised he had not said that in his head. At least he shared his idea, although they still did not agree with him. It was getting annoying for him not being right. He went through his plan and the group listened in sympathy. During this time, Acret left and returned to the cave.

"So, what do you think?" He asked them.

Acret came in and interrupted before anyone could tell Resavolar the truth. They all took it as a chance to get out of telling him. Yun asked Acret first.

"I have received news that Hopnth and the Red Shroud's men have almost made it to Flarsheroth. If we want this to work, we have to act now."

Resavolar's idea was completely forgotten about, the situation was thought over and a new plan was implemented. It took many hours but by the next morning they had agreed over a compromise and left the camp, the canyon and tried to get Hopnth back before their last hope was lost.

Hopnth knew they were getting closer to Flarsheroth and luckily he did not have any of the Red Shroud's men fall from dehydration or any predators that could have attacked in the night. He woke up and felt that he had to make a certain decision that could cost them everything. He looked over and saw the sun coming over the horizon. The second Red Shroud soldier came up to him.

"Hopnth sir, we are running out of time. I suggest if we want to last the next few days through this hell, then we need to leave now."

Hopnth did not say anything and the first Red Shroud soldier hit the second one across the face.

"Hey!"

"Sir, what do we do? We may be only hours away and-"

"I just feel that we are in danger-" The second one said. The first one hit him again and wondered why Hopnth had not made a decision. Hopnth too had no idea what to do. If the first Red Shroud soldier was correct then he was in luck. He knew how far he was from Flarsheroth and knew with his determination and the Red Shrouds men's loyalty to him, they would make it back by next nightfall. He went over the plan in his head before ordering the men on what they were going to do. He now knew that all of their fates were in the hands of Drenacle and the others. In the meantime, they set off a few miles along the path, not far from two high mountains where Flarsheroth and safety for them hung not far behind. Luckily for them though, between these enormous mountains was a pass through which they travelled to the entrance of. The sun blazed over them and they slowed the journey, seeking what shelter they could find under trees and resting only for a few minutes before moving on. Hopnth knew that seeing he was in charge, doing this would give Drenacle and the others a chance to get to them before they made it to the pass and returned to safe haven. None of them knew that they were secretly being followed.

Miles away from the canyon and them, Drenacle, Acret, Resavolar, Blaze and about ten of Acret's soldiers made their way to Hopnth's last known location. The sun affected them so much that they were tempted to drink the sweat off of their own body's, or each other every ten minutes. Acret led the group across the Dead lands. He had been there before and knew the way easily. Unfortunately, the information from their spies who had been following their Hopnth's every move made him fear that they would not make it to Hopnth before Hopnth made it to Flarsheroth, let alone the Mountain Pass. Resavolar held the crystal tight, trying not to drop it while thinking back to when his own friend struck him down. He tried to forget about it but he could not.

"How much further Acret?" He asked.

Acret didn't answer and just continued on ahead. Resavolar caught up to Drenacle and Blaze.

"Hey. I'm sorry I didn't believe that I've become obsessed with this crystal."

"That's okay. We're sorry we didn't listen to you. Why do you think that dream you had when you were almost killed was a vision though?" Drenacle asked Resavolar. He was curious to know the truth. Resavolar froze and fell behind before catching up again and answering.

"There was a person who could see me... they showed me the Red Shroud returning to Flarsheroth. I could read his mind. He was thinking that he made a mistake-"

"And what makes you think it's true that he's deceiving us because... why did you say he's making it seem like he is against us?"

Resavolar thought back to the words he heard the Red Shroud think.

"He said that he would never turn against the Evil One. Hopnth is in on it too. He knows, and if we get him back, we can ask him. I mean he told us everything he knew without a second thought for god sakes."

"It's impossible! He has Syth." Acret said while still moving forward. Resavolar remembered something else.

"Onma!" He said at once.

"Onma; what do you mean Onma?"

"He said for the Red Shroud to only have one of the girls! He must be planning to separate them all over Firaciend so the Evil One can't get them back! The Red-"

"Shut up! That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!" Acret interrupted again before stopping. The others hoped something, but they hoped for it too early. They ran up hoping for their sight to show them Hopnth and the Red Shroud's men nearby but found a bunch of dead trees and mountains in the distance. Their hope of getting to them in time faded. They were left with one thing.

"We must head on if we want to get there before they do." Acret said. His men were tireless. Resavolar, Blaze and Drenacle on the other hand were becoming tired, even by the afternoon that was drawing over the Dead Lands. The heat began to slowly disappear and a cool breeze came over them. This made their luck begin to return. Resavolar began to have a strange feeling that felt like the trust of a comrade.

"What is it Resavolar?" Blaze asked him. Resavolar just stood there. His eyes changed and he his vision turned into what felt like an eagle flying through the air straight to where Hopnth and the Red Shroud's men were miles ahead of them.

"_What in the world? How is this possible?"_ He thought to himself. This brought his realisation that even if they did continue on through the night; they still would not catch them in time. What was only a split second later, he came back to the reality. Blaze was still staring at him, asking what was wrong. Resavolar decided to say, "Nothing". They would think him weird if he told them of his vision. The group journeyed on and Acret was not waiting for anyone. Resavolar hoped that if Hopnth was on their side, he would slow down and allow to be caught. Acret did not think of this. After what Hopnth had done, he thought his chance of vengeance was over. The only leverage they had was the crystal and that would not be a good or worthy offering to be traded for both the girls and Syth. Resavolar thought of what he saw and knew that they had a chance. Hopnth and the Red Shroud's men were only metres away from the Mountain Pass and Drenacle and the others followed not far behind. Resavolar had his sight become stronger and he saw the pass up ahead.

"We're almost there!" He yelled. Acret could not believe what Resavolar was saying. To him the Mountain Pass was still miles away. Was his shortcut really a good idea? Or did Resavolar just think they were close? They all hurried up the small warm mountain, hoping to see the pass on the other side, but found that they were still miles away. Resavolar looked most unhappy and embarrassed. He went quiet and did not say a thing. Acret knew now that Resavolar's word could not be trusted.

"What are you talking about Res? We're nowhere near it." Blaze told him in disappointment. Resavolar wondered if the sun was getting to him as it was with Blaze and Drenacle. Resavolar stood there thinking.

"_I swear it was here, right over the- no. They're right. I have become too exposed to the crystal and its taking me over!"_

He dropped the crystal out of his hands in a return of fear and it fell, almost hitting the ground before Blaze caught it just in time. Resavolar came back to his senses.

"I saw through his eyes. Hopnth has made it to the Mountain Pass."

"We must hurry then. If they get through, it's all over." Acret replied. He then continued on, walking faster with his men following him closely, making sure he was protected. Drenacle and Blaze rushed after him before Resavolar stopped them.

"Wait!"

They all turned back to him.

"Give me the crystal for a second."

"No. We don't have time for this. If you're right about Hopnth almost being at the Mountain Pass, then we have to hurry before he makes it through. We have another two hills and then that is it." Acret yelled back in impatience. Blaze trusted Resavolar though and passed the crystal back to him.

"Don't drop it again."

Resavolar did not. He remembered what the Dragon Master told him about the crystals of power... '_Only someone of pure heart and reason of the crystals use can use it_.'

He had the pure heart and good enough reason to summon something that can stop all hell breaking loose in time. His thought of 'in time' was not the meaning he hoped. He held the crystal up to his chest and hoped for something. The crystal did not budge or do anything and to everyone else, Resavolar just looked like a complete idiot holding a useless crystal. Resavolar wished for something so hard. His eyes were shut tight as he hoped. Seconds later he opened them again and looked at the crystal which stayed still.

"What was that?" Acret asked. Resavolar looked disappointed.

"Can we move on now? You've done what you thought was right and now that we have probably lost them it is once again your fault." Acret said, sounding most annoyed. Resavolar fought back.

"I know the only reason why you want to catch them. Syth is not the only one who has ended up becoming a servant of the Red Shroud. You're just worried about her and only care about getting her back."

"I am not! What about you mister thinks his gut feeling is always right. If you hadn't gone back to the cave to confront a 'friend' of yours who backstabbed us all, we would still have a strong enough leverage that could be used to get Syth-"

"Ha! Like I said, you're only interested in getting revenge on the Red Shroud for what he's done to Syth!"

"Quiet you two!" Blaze yelled. He could not stand the arguing. They went quiet. "Look, I know we're all tired. But we need to get through this and focus on what's really important... getting Hopnth so we have enough leverage to get Syth and the girls back."

They all listened and once Blaze finished pulling their minds into the right place, they moved on in the hope of getting them back.

**Chapter XVII**

**Vengeance**

Hopnth and the Red Shroud's men had finally almost made it to safety at the Mountain Pass. The four headed over a small hill. The entrance was in sight up ahead. A sign of relief met them. Hopnth fastened his pace as the group was suddenly surrounded by a dark shadow that covered them. The Red Shroud's men pulled out their swords and got ready to fight. Their weapons immediately disappeared out of their hands and they were quickly defenceless. Hopnth knew that it had come. Resavolar had done it. Hope was restored. A voice spoke through the shadow.

"Drop your weapons and surrender yourselves."

The shadow disappeared and showed Drenacle and the others standing there with Acret's men; their arrows pointed up at them. Acret kept his hand raised as Drenacle spoke.

"It's over Hopnth. You're surrounded. Come with us and those men of yours-"

"Wait... I've got a better idea." Resavolar interrupted. He walked ahead of the others. Acret did not like what he was doing but still stuck to the plan. Unfortunately, Resavolar was not doing the same.

"Take us to Flarsheroth and we will let you live to see another day."

The Red Shroud's men waited for Hopnth's answer which did not come straight away.

"If I were you, I'd do what he says." Acret said, playing along as best he could. Resavolar looked straight at Hopnth and waited for an answer. Then he did something he knew was impossible.

"_If you're on our side, you will help us get Syth and the girls back." _He thought to Hopnth. To his surprise Hopnth's voice said back in his mind, "_You know I am. I just don't want to seem like I've given up so easily. How are you in my head?"_

Resavolar came to his senses and saw Hopnth do something with his eyes. He realised the thing he had just done was real. He spoke into Hopnth's mind again.

"_The crystal that the Red Shroud is after. It has a power like none other. I've been exposed by it and now I have all these special powers."_

Hopnth's eyes widened and he looked over at Acret.

"_Tell Drenacle and Blaze to trust me. I've got a plan._" He said back to Resavolar. Resavolar did as Hopnth said told the two through thought what Hopnth had told him. They too were not sure of whether it was true but trusted Resavolar anyway. So many impossible things had happened and this just added to it. After his deed was done, he turned back to Hopnth and answered through thought, "_It's done."_

_ "Good._" Hopnth replied back in Resavolar's head. This long silence was growing tiring. Acret, his men and the Red Shroud's men were the only people wondering what was going on. The Red Shroud's men were waiting patiently for Hopnth's answer. It finally came.

"Shoot us."

He put his hands behind his back and moved them, signalling to the Red Shroud's men what he wanted them to do. Acret knew that he could throw his hand down, signalling his archers to shoot and kill them, but knew that he could not; not after what Hopnth had done twice now. They were at their last chance of saving his daughter. His next surprise was this.

"You heard him Acret. Tell your men to fire." Resavolar said. Blaze and Drenacle were the only two that just felt like they were not even needed. They too were aware of what they needed and were amazed Resavolar was not sticking to their original plan. He though, trusted his friend and that was all that mattered to him.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Oh, that's right; you need us as leverage to get back what you want." Hopnth said, aggravating Acret, provoking him to make the final order. Acret did not let it get to him until he heard Hopnth say, "You should've seen her dance. She was so magnificent... elegant. Even I would sleep with her."

Acret threw his hand down in anger. The archers shot their arrows and once again Hopnth deflected them away. He looked straight at Resavolar who gave a quick nod. The Red Shroud's men immediately picked their swords up off of the ground and ran at Resavolar. He got his sword out of the sword pocket on his back and stood his ground. Hopnth stayed back and watched as his plan was going better than Acret's ever could. Acret was so angry. He drew his sword as did half his men and ran straight at Hopnth. The other half stood their ground on the hill, using their long bows. Drenacle and Blaze were taken aback by what was going on and stood out of the way. They were the only individuals not being fought against. Resavolar fought all three of the Red Shroud's men with the help of two of Acret's men.

"What the hell? Hopnth doesn't realise it does he? He's outnumbered twelve to four." Blaze said to Drenacle. They continued to watch and thought that whatever Hopnth had planned, it was foolish. Hopnth knew that for sure, yet he did not back down. He knew he had already won the fight. Acret was so angry. He swung at Hopnth several times, but kept missing. Hopnth dodged his slashes and concentrated more on Acret's other two swordsmen that were also trying to kill him. He used a force wind to blow back Acret's men into the dead trees nearby .It was just him and Acret left. No one had won but Acret's anger had risen as he saw that his men had been defeated by only one man. Hopnth looked over at the Red Shroud's men who had also defeated Acret's other men. Resavolar was left outnumbered. It was impossible. Resavolar was better than any of the Red Shroud's men, let alone Acret's own men. Something was going on. All Acret could concentrate on was attempting to kill Hopnth once and for all.

"You are strong Acret; a very powerful warrior at that. Unfortunately you have already lost."

This brought out the last of Acret's anger. He went to slash and finish Hopnth, but Hopnth ended it. He jumped out of the way, got behind Acret and hit him in the back with the handle of his sword. Acret fell to the ground on his knees. It was over. Resavolar looked and saw what had happened. The Red Shroud's men had regrouped back with Hopnth. They retreated and fled to the entrance to the Mountain Pass and were soon out of sight. Drenacle and Blaze both ran up to Resavolar. They watched them disappear before turning to Acret.

"What are you talking about Hopnth has a plan? How do you know this?" Drenacle asked Resavolar. They heard Acret trying to get up and ran over to help him.

"What was that Res..? I trusted... you not to go against... the plan..."

"Acret, he had it all set up. I trust him. You're lucky you weren't killed." Resavolar answered. Acret tried to get to his feet but was still too weak. He lay there, looking around at his men.

"Did any survive?" He asked. Blaze left and saw if there were any survivors. The sight was terrible. Bodies of men lying around everywhere, silence after a big fight, and the loss of hope that was so close to being restored. Blaze returned and gave the bad news.

"They're all dead. It's just us four. Hopnth planned the whole thing from the start. He used the archers own arrows to kill each of them."

He was right. The Red Shroud's men were not responsible for each of Acret's archer's deaths. It was Hopnth. The archer's had arrows shot through them like they killed themselves. Acret gave a loud yell in an utmost anger and had no idea how it was possible. He had Hopnth where he wanted him. It was impossible for Hopnth to have been able to do it. Drenacle told him to calm down. It was over again. They had trusted Resavolar and he had trusted Hopnth who did something worse this time. Resavolar had guilt come over him and he ran off.

"Where're you going?" Blaze asked him.

Resavolar ran near the small hill opposite the Mountain Pass entrance and yelled too.

"What's wrong Resavolar?"

He knew that he had made another mistake. It did not make sense. Hopnth told him what he was going to do but did not mention about taking out Acret's men and turning a group of twelve down to a group of just four. He levelled the playing field and did it with Resavolar's help. Whatever Hopnth knew; their quest in getting Syth and the girls back was not going to involve capturing him and using him to trade for Syth and the girl's freedom.

"What's the plan now?" Resavolar asked them. No one answered. He turned to see if they even heard him. They were gone.

Inside the Mountain Pass, Hopnth and the Red Shroud's men had just made it halfway through as their luck began to change. They walked up and got to an area with two pillars on each side. More of The Red Shroud's men were standing on them, guarding the Mountain Pass. Hopnth walked forward and he was immediately recognisable to them.

"Hopnth sir, we heard about what happened to you. What brings you here in our midst?" One asked as he jumped down from the left pillar and landed in front of Hopnth and the others. The one on the right stayed where he was.

"It's a pleasure too. Is there some place we can talk instead of out here?" Hopnth asked him.

"Of course General Hopnth, come this way. I know a place where we can talk in private." He replied. He then introduced himself as Aba; the leader of the Mountain Pass guards. He was very tall, bulky, had light red skin under his short, flat light blonde hair. He wore similar armour to the Red Shroud's men. He led Hopnth and the other three Red Shroud's men into a small cave hidden from the Mountain Pass's main track on which they travelled. The Red Shroud guard on the other pillar yelled down to them as they were about to enter the cave.

"Sir, we have four people headed this way."

The guard looked straight at Hopnth who knew a question that was going to come after.

"Are you being followed?" Aba asked Hopnth. He shook his head, lying.

"Do you know them?" He asked next.

"Yes. They are after us and plan to use us to get leverage over the Red Shroud." The third Red Shroud soldier answered at once.

"Is this true?' The guard asked. Hopnth nodded his head, unhappy of admitting the truth. Aba told them to go into the cave and stay there until they had dealt with these new travellers. Hopnth ordered his men to stay outside just in case the travellers caused any trouble. They would not be able to distinguish them from the other Mountain Pass guards. Moments later, the travellers had made it into the presence of the guards. They hid out of sight for the time being. Drenacle, Blaze and Acret followed their gut feeling and stayed on the same track as they came up to a dead end. It was blocked by rocks and looked like it had been due to a natural rock fall.

"I guess we'll have to take another way around." Blaze said. Drenacle just stayed back and let the others figure it out. He could not be bothered getting into an unwinnable argument. Acret looked suspicious. He felt something was wrong. He knew that Hopnth and the other had come through here. He took a couple of cautious steps forward and waited to see what would happen. Nothing did happen. He was still unsure. It was like he knew that something was waiting for him to drop his guard and then strike.

"What is it Acret?"

Acret turned back to them. His eyes were weary.

"Something doesn't feel right. This pass has never been closed up by fallen rocks. I also don't understand it. They passed through here. How did they get through?" He replied.

"What? Acret, we're in a gap between two rock mountains. How is it not possible for the rocks to fall in and create a dead end? Come on. Maybe we can just push them out of the way." Resavolar suggested. He had finally caught up with them and joined their decision. It sounded like a good idea but Acret; being the leader of the group, still did not trust him, not after what mistakes Resavolar had made up to this point. He was just making things worse, believing his decision were the right decisions. Acret saw him as naive.

"No Resavolar. If we do that it may attract some unwanted attention."

Resavolar argued back. The thing that they wanted to avoid in the first place became unavoidable. Acret argued against Resavolar. This gave a waiting danger the chance to catch them off their guard. Suddenly five of the Red Shroud's guards came out of nowhere and surrounded the four of them. Acret and Resavolar stopped arguing with each other and concentrated on the trap they had just foolishly fallen into. One last one jumped down from the rocks above blocking their path and took his helmet off. He looked at them through his blue eyes before asking, "I am Aba. Lead guard of the Mountain Pass. What are you here for?"

A silence fell over them and it felt like another déjà vu. Aba waited for their answer but soon became impatient when it did not come. Another six men holding long bows came into view on top of the fallen rocks. Aba had his hand up, still waiting for a reply.

"Well? What are you here for Mr...?

"Threon, Drenacle Threon of Lafiraveind. This is Acret, Blaze and Resavolar." Drenacle answered, coming ahead of the others and introducing each of them. Aba looked at him and away from Acret who he figured by the looks of him was the leader.

"You're from Lafiraveind eh? What brings you all the way here to the Mountain Pass?"

"We are travellers headed to Flarsheroth."

"Where have you come from?" He asked, hoping to catch them. Making sure they did not mention that they were escaped prisoners of the Red Shroud, they thought twice before answering. What they did not know was that they were in trouble either way. Aba was aware of who they were but trusted Hopnth's word to make them crack first. Resavolar answered him next. He thought of the first place that came to mind and said, "Pakolia."

Aba became most intrigued. He asked Resavolar a few more questions.

"Why are you headed to Flarsheroth from Pakolia when you're from Lafiraveind, and may I add, with no supplies?"

Blaze butted in this time.

"That's the reason we're headed there. We heard it's the closest kingdom from here. So that's where we're going."

Aba began to think just as Acret spoke to him.

"Can we go through please? We aren't any use being kept here."

Aba turned his back to them and said, "Wait here," before walking out of sight. The archers still hung above them; ready to kill them if it was necessary. They had the arrows pulled back on the strings of their bows. The four stood and waited for their hopeful answer of being allowed to go through. Resavolar thought to Drenacle, "_Do you reckon we'll get out of this alive? I know he knows who we are."_

_ "Just stick to the plan this time and we should be fine... wait. What do you mean he knows who we are?"_ Drenacle said back to him in his head. Drenacle looked up at all the archers and his thought of getting out alive was soon changed. Blaze saw the fear in Drenacle and wondered what was going on with him. One minute he, like all of them, had the absolute confidence in getting around this. But now Drenacle had become affected by something they told each other to not worry about. It was not hard for Drenacle not to listen to Resavolar after everything he had done, leading to each situation become much worse, but for some reason it felt like Resavolar was right about this one. Blaze quickly headed over to him to see what was wrong.

"Resavolar just said that the guard knows who we are." Drenacle whispered. After hearing this, Blaze too began to worry. Acret though, had no idea that he was wrong about his plan working like a charm. He kept staring at the archers, wondering what they were thinking. What he had not noticed was that one of the many of the archers had left and returned to the cave where Aba and Hopnth were.

The archer went up to Aba who was speaking to Hopnth and tapped him on the shoulder.

"What is it?" Aba asked the archer.

"They're cracking. We may have them. Do we kill them?"

Hopnth shook his head. Aba saw him do so and trusted the choice Hopnth was making.

"Let them go through and report to the Red Shroud that they are on their way. Don't tell him I am alive though."

None of them knew what Hopnth was doing saying to let them through. Hopnth had a plan though and one that would not involve him anymore. He could not stand the fact about being a part of something that he knew would end terribly. He thought for a bit. This led to the other two to wonder more of what was going to happen next. Hopnth then walked out of the cave. Aba and the archer followed him back outside.

"What are you doing?" Aba asked, as confused as the other men. Hopnth did not answer and soon walked in between Resavolar and the others and the Aba, his men and the archers that stayed perched with their arrows drawn back. Hopnth knew what he was doing. All of them were confused as he finally stopped and stood still. Acret saw him and was urged to kill him then and there. Instead, he kept his cool until he was allowed his chance.

"_What is going on Hopnth? I thought you'd be at Flarsheroth by now."_ Resavolar said to Hopnth in his mind.

"_It's your chance now. Do what you must."_

Resavolar was left confused by Hopnth's conversational thought back to him. One of the archers released his arrow from the bow and it flew through the air. Resavolar jumped out of the way, as did Drenacle, Blaze and Acret. Luckily none of them were harmed but when Resavolar looked back at Hopnth, he saw something that scared him. Hopnth dropped to the ground on his stomach. The arrow had hit him in the back. The guard looked at the archer that shot it.

"What did you do?"

Resavolar's heart began to beat fast as he saw Hopnth's dead body lying there. Everyone went silent. None of them could believe what had just happened. Coming to his senses not long after, Resavolar ran over and rolled the dead Hopnth onto his back. The arrow in his back snapped as his back was rolled over. Aba ran over to him. He saw a small tear begin to roll out of Resavolar's eye.

"I'm sorry Sir Resavolar. Return back to Flarsheroth and do what you must."

Resavolar looked back at him.

"How do you know what I must do?"

"Hopnth told me what's going on at Flarsheroth. Come, we must speak at once."

**Chapter XVIII**

**So Close...**

Aba led the four back into the cave and they were acquainted with the Red Shroud's men who joined them. Both groups drew their weapons immediately until Aba told them not to attack. They all put their swords away and wondered what was going on. The first Red Shroud soldier was first to ask that exact question.

"This has become more complicated than you know. Your leader has fallen in friendly fire and the end of the Red Shroud's betrayal to the Evil One will soon come." Aba explained. Everyone around the medium sized wooden table listened. All three Red Shroud soldiers looked confused and began to think that Resavolar and the other three had somehow turned Aba against the Red Shroud and them. They retaliated a little just as the archer came in carrying Hopnth's body in his hands. The truth had been shown. Resavolar looked away as he could not bear to see the look of his friend's dead body. The Red Shroud's men however stared at it, unable to look away as they too could not believe it.

"I know the Red Shroud won't be happy about this." The third Red Shroud soldier said. The other two nodded in agreement. Just then, Resavolar thought of the most ridiculous idea that he shared with the others.

"We could use his body to explain that if the war escalates, this will be the outcome. People who we really care about will innocently die."

"And what if that back fires Resavolar? We don't have long. The girls need our help now and what if that makes us end up in a much worse trap than before?" Drenacle asked. The second Red Shroud soldier coughed, looking at the archer, like he knew something. They all turned to him.

"The Red Shroud will probably find that out in three days."

All their eyes widened at the sound of this as they realised that their plans had just become more complicated.

"What do you mean? What did you do?" Blaze asked him. The second Red Shroud soldier looked at the guard. Acret noticed what the second soldier did, grabbed the archer and pushed him up against the cave wall. His temper was growing every minute he went through getting nowhere in the fear he would be too late to save Syth. Aba drew his sword and held it at Acret's back. Blaze walked up and began to question the archer, still being held up by Acret.

"What did you do?"

The guard looked at them with fear but eventually answered.

"I was... given orders to send a message to the Red Shroud... about you four being on your way."

Acret became enraged and threw him to the ground. Aba removed his sword. Acret did not harm him. The archer looked up at them.

"Hopnth gave the order!"

"You're lying!" Resavolar yelled. He was more confused than anything. The archer answered.

"I swear on my very soul that I was given the order from him personally. Whatever he wanted, he got it."

Acret pulled out his sword and pointed it at the archer's neck. He looked fearful and the others would not blame him for looking such a way. Acret's rage had been brought forth and he feared his next move would not matter. Aba thought otherwise. He warned Acret not to kill him. Either way they had lost, just like when he had fought Hopnth.

"Acret don't! We may need him. Whatever reason Hopnth had himself killed, nothing was supposed to happen like this. I say-"

"You say? I'll tell you what you say... nothing!" Acret yelled back at Resavolar. His sword was still held at the guard's neck. Drenacle did something rash and pulled Acret away from the archer in a bold move, knocking his sword to the ground. Acret got to his feet, grabbed his sword again and was about to strike Drenacle instead before coming to his senses. He took a couple of breaths and calmed down. Drenacle put his hand on his shoulder in comfort.

"Don't worry. I trust you will see Syth again."

Acret looked back and had a tear drop from his eye. The guard got to his feet and continued with what he was saying.

"The Red Shroud knows you are on the right side. Hopnth knew it. You need to get back and end it... leave Hopnth's body here. It will be taken care of kindly. He meant as much to us as he did to you Sir Resavolar." Aba told them. Resavolar thought that was the best idea for he knew he would not be able to take another three or so days seeing the dead body of his own friend. There was one more thing to worry about.

"How are we supposed to end this when our leverage is dead? The Red Shroud will just capture us again and then we'll end up back at square one." Blaze said.

"You have the crystal-"

"That's not an option. If the Red Shroud knows that my life is basically connected to it, he will keep me and get rid of everyone else." Resavolar interrupted. Aba understood their problem. He thought for a bit, as they all did and tried to come up with a plan effective enough to take down the Red Shroud, Scorph and Grond all at the same time.

"We need leverage." Drenacle said in a low voice is his deep train of thought. Then he had it.

"What if we give the crystal-?"

"Drenacle, I said no crystal!" Resavolar repeated.

"Hear me out Res. We give the crystal to the Red Shroud and if he is on our side, he will use it to get rid of Onma and Grond. It will end it all!"

Resavolar thought over it and remembered back to everything that had happened right up to that point, thinking over the possibility. There was just one problem.

"What makes you lot think that the Red Shroud is on your side?" The first Red Shroud soldier asked them. Then something amazing happened.

"He is on our side; I've been told myself." one of them answered. They all turned to Resavolar who looked straight at who really had said it... the second soldier.

"How do you know this?" The first one asked again.

"He told me when it all began. The Red Shroud is just waiting for the Evil One to turn up... Onma is only staying to keep an eye out on the girls suffering and that the Red Shroud doesn't go easy on them. And as for the Redempter, he's also waiting for the Evil One to come so he can finish him himself and bring victory to Swecawondi's Lord Frostbite in the Frozen-Ice region on the other side of Firaciend."

All of what was said made sense to Resavolar who then said, "See, I told you they were on our side."

Acret gave him a look of disgust. Resavolar knew what Acret thought. Hopnth deserved to die after what he had done. Soon enough, Acret's feelings surfaced.

"Resavolar, if that was true my men would still be alive and we wouldn't be in this mess."

Aba told him to calm down and for a plan to be thought over before they left. Everyone agreed to it and they thought it over further. Acret tried his best to think but his worry about Syth bothered him too much. Resavolar felt his pain.

"I say we use the crystal as bait."

Everyone turned to the person who said that and to their surprise it was Resavolar.

"Are you sure Resavolar? I mean your connection with that crystal is very large and you may be destroyed from it."

Resavolar was aware of that fear but knew his life would need to stand back for a great and effective plan to be put into action.

"No... I know you'd say that I was being stupid, but I trusted Hopnth as I now trust the Red Shroud. With that crystal in his possession, who knows, this could be the break we've been after for so long."

Aba saw the bravery in Resavolar's eyes and knew that this was a large and worthy sacrifice to the Red Shroud.

"Whatever plan we come up with, nothing will work with my life line in the way." Resavolar finished. Aba agreed on his every word.

"He's right."

The second Red Shroud soldier then spoke out.

"I say we go straight there and trick them... use the crystal as a gift rather than a trade."

Everyone wondered where he was going with this. He continued.

"They're expecting you to trade us three and Hopnth for Syth and the girl's right? This will confuse him, Onma and the Redempter. They will hesitate and you will get what you want."

"Get the Red Shroud, Onma and Grond to be confused of our real plan?" Drenacle asked him in the slight confusion. The second Red Shroud soldier elaborated.

"Yes and no. What I'm saying is they're expecting us three and Hopnth, as I said earlier, to be traded."

His explanation did not make much sense. All the others understood was that they were to trick the Red Shroud, Onma and Grond and expect that would buy them some time they could use. Unfortunately they did not have much time left anyway.

"It sounds like a plan." Resavolar said.

"Wait. What is the plan?"

Acret was more confused than any of them. Resavolar whispered it into his ear and Acret finally understood it. The thing that worried him was if it did not work.

"What if it doesn't work?"

"He's right. We need a backup plan."

Everyone agreed upon that. Though it meant more time wasting that of which was precious to them, they had to think outside the box, to be more cautious this time around. This took longer than they anticipated, but soon enough they finally finished deciding and agreed on their second plan. After that, they went to sleep early that night; ready for their next big day when they would end it all... so they believed. In the meantime, they accommodated with Aba and his guards inside the cavern walls of the Mountain Pass.

The next morning was terrible. A storm had come over the Mountain pass and their original plan to leave first light was changed. They stayed in the cave and decided to wait it out.

"We do that, we're kidding ourselves. We need to just get to Flarsheroth and end this." Acret said impatiently. The others felt his pain and knew that the end would come... soon. The morning storm continued and something just did not feel right. They were in a huge chasm yet they were afraid of being struck by lightning many miles above them. Acret was just afraid of being too late to save his daughter. The storm was not a bother to him at all. Resavolar on the other hand had seen enough to know that their arrival, whenever that would be, would not matter. In the meantime, they did what they must to survive the storm; their caution being very powerful over their own minds. Minutes later, the storm died down but strong winds still made their quest the ever more difficult. They strengthened through the harsh rain and freezing cold wind hitting their uncovered faces as they journeyed out of the Mountain Pass and along the path that most likely to Acret's knowledge led straight to Flarsheroth. By that time the rain had died down and the sun broke through the clouds, shining hope upon their hearts. It felt like they had survived the worst of it and they were on their home stretch back home.

"We're almost there guys. Just another few miles and we will be at Flarsheroth." Acret told them. They gave joy but then concentrated straight after. They had to make it to Flarsheroth and go with the plan, get the Red Shroud to make things right, and hope they were not double crossed like they had been in the first place. Acret hoped his thought of trusting Resavolar; now that Hopnth was not in the way, was right. Resavolar was a little foolish but did not mean to make each of their situations worse.

"_Everyone makes mistakes. Stop worrying about it. He can be trusted to stick to the plan. After all, he was the one who stepped back and made a sacrifice. Come on, he has no use for going against this plan. It's fool proof anyway."_ He thought confidently to himself. For some reason though, he did not trust his own judgement. It created yet another conflict in his head.

"_He trusts the Red Shroud for god sakes. This doesn't mean he may turn against us and the Evil One himself. It means he will make the right choice when the time comes." _Acret thought.He looked over at Resavolar holding the crystal in his hands."_He will do it... No he won't. How do you know he will? I don't, okay? I fear he will."_ He said in a conversation between himself. This gave him a bit of a headache and he fell behind. Resavolar was the first to realise and fell back to see what was going on. Acret held his hand on his head.

"Hey, are you alright?" Resavolar asked him.

"Yeah, I've just got a little headache, that's all."

The Red Shroud soldiers, Drenacle, and Blaze all came to a stop in front of them. Acret looked up at the sky and saw something that made his insides tingle. His headache became worse as stress was beginning to overtake him.

"What's wrong Acret?" Drenacle asked next. Resavolar looked where Acret was and realised what Acret had seen. The clouds somehow closed up the sunlight magically and they were in trouble. It was like something dangerous had found them. In the distance, thunder was heard and this created the same fear for all of them.

"That's impossible." Acret said to himself, looking up at the sunless sky. Drenacle and the other four then looked up where he was. They were sitting ducks in something they could not escape from.

"What is it?" Blaze asked. He seemed to be the only one who had no idea what had the others so scared.

"Blaze; a storm is coming." Resavolar explained. Blaze still looked a little confused just as a huge strike of lightning flew through the air and disappeared.

"Come on! We need to get out of here!" Acret yelled. Everyone followed him as the multiple clashes of lightning lit up the sky and then fell silent. Some strikes hit the ground at times just metres away from them. They feared the worst but still kept running. Acret kept thinking of how he would not survive this. Upon the continuous thoughts, he pulled himself together to get through it. All of them kept their heads down, making sure it was not the last thing they did. The storm grew and rain hit their faces. This did not bother them as much as the loud clashes of lightning all round them.

"This is crazy! You're a fool Acret! We should have gone back into the Mountain Pass where it was safer!" Resavolar yelled out to him. Acret did not listen. He also could hardly hear Resavolar anyway through the storm. They continued to run and after about ten minutes they grew tired. The storm had luckily passed and the rain drizzled softly on their tired bodies. Acret finally came to a halt.

"We're almost there." He said in confidence. The others hoped he was right, for all their sakes. Drenacle, Blaze, Resavolar and the Red Shroud's men had been through enough already and had enough. Their hope was to be at the end of it. At last... Acret ran up the small hill in front where he had stopped. The others chased him and found that they had finally made it. Flarsheroth lay still in the distance below the partially clouded sky.

**Chapter XIX**

**...Yet So Far**

The seven of them rushed down the steep hill, along the path, right up to the front gates of Flarsheroth. Once there, they waited for the Red Shroud's soldiers at the gate to come and arrest them. Something was wrong though.

"It's quiet... too quiet." The second soldier said. The others had realised the same obviousness and knew this was just the beginning. Resavolar took a couple of steps towards the gate until he was stopped.

"Don't. This doesn't make sense." Blaze warned. He made the others worry as much as him. Their plan had been flawed and was beginning to be forgotten. Acret hit Blaze across the head and told them all to stick to the plan. He knew what to do and trusted that no matter what, they would get through it if they stuck to the plan. It was the only thing keeping them from breaking which meant they had an upper hand.

"_The Red Shroud knows we're on our way, there is absolutely no way he's going to break us from letting this plan fool them." _Acret thought to himself. They all then drew their swords and walked in cautiously. The kingdom's gates were deserted and the streets were left as dead as night. Something was wrong. They all knew this and wondered if it was even a good idea to come back to the place they hoped they would not have to return to after all they had been through. They passed building after building before finally getting to the castle entrance where they thought they could see someone standing at. As they got closer, their hope returned and then suddenly disappeared along with the figure they had seen. Being abandoned brought back their fear of what could possibly happen if the plan failed. They felt they had been set up and the plan was still leaving their minds even though they kept to it. The surprises kept coming has they travelled inside, chasing after the same similar figure that they had seen before. It kept appearing and when they got closer to it, it kept disappearing. They were well aware it was a trap but still followed it right down to the Red Shroud's throne room. They all headed down the last lot of stairs following Resavolar who was in front until the truth had been revealed. Resavolar entered the throne room and was grabbed by one of the Red Shroud's guards. Immediately after that, Blaze, Drenacle, and then Acret lastly were grabbed as they walked in. As for the three Red Shroud soldiers, they were not. Resavolar kept hold of the crystal and looked over at the Red Shroud relaxing on his couch. He looked at them and ordered the men who held them to bring them into his view. Grond stopped talking with one of the Red Shroud's guests and turned his attention to the new action that was taking place. He saw the crystal hidden under Resavolar's crossed arms and knew that this was about to end soon. The Red Shroud stared at all of them. Syth looked too and saw her father in a sudden joy. Acret noticed her too and was filled with joy that he kept hidden. The girls stopped what they were doing and walked in view of them to see what was going on. Drenacle was happy to see them and counted each of the girls to make sure none had been lost. Liam turned up not long after and began to ask a question before the Red Shroud silenced him.

"What are you doing here?" The Red Shroud asked them himself. He also had noticed the crystal in Resavolar's arms but did not stare at it. Grond did not think the Red Shroud had noticed it and went up and whispered in his ear, "Resavolar has the crystal of power My Lord."

The Red Shroud made it seem like he had just noticed it and gave an intrigued look. Grond had them where he wanted them. It was just a matter of time before the plan of his master was fulfilled and he would be rich and trusted by his current master. He hoped to get a large payment for this most of all. This was the biggest job he had ever fulfilled; being on the side of the victor made Grond feel safe when the end would come. The Red Shroud continued.

"What is that in your hand Sir Resavolar?"

Resavolar kept a tight hold on the crystal and hid it under his arms. There was no point doing that. It had already been taken notice of. Grond knew that this was the end. The Red Shroud would take the crystal and finish them all. Resavolar saw the evil happiness in Grond's eyes. He would not let Grond get what he wanted. The Red Shroud asked for Resavolar to hand over the crystal. Resavolar saw the trust in the Red Shroud's eyes, but for the first time in a while, he did not trust what he was thinking of doing. Acret realised what was going on and realised what mistake he had made.

"_Stick to the plan Resavolar. Give it to him."_ He thought to himself, hoping that Resavolar hand the Red Shroud the crystal. Syth and the girls were happy that Resavolar would not hand it over but were intrigued of what they were going to do. They had been through enough and if this did not end it, it would be the worst thing that had ever happened to them.

"_Come on Res. You need to trust me."_ The Red Shroud thought to himself, hoping Resavolar would give in. To his surprise Resavolar's voice spoke inside the Red Shroud's head.

"_How do I know you will use it to get rid of Grond and Onma?"_

The Red Shroud's eyes widened and Grond saw it. Something was going on. It did not seem to be something good for him. He immediately whispered something else into the Red Shroud's right ear. Resavolar, still reading the Red Shroud's thoughts, heard what Grond wanted the Red Shroud to do and retaliated even more. The Red Shroud looked at Resavolar and he knew that the Red Shroud had realised why he was so protective over the crystal.

"_Trust me Res. You know I will do what I must to make sure the Evil One doesn't lose this war. Trust me... for all our sakes."_

Resavolar let go of the crystal and the Red Shroud's soldier took it and handed it to the Red Shroud.

"Finally." He answered in an under tone of relief. Grond then whispered something more into the Red Shroud's ear. Syth had heard it and was more worried than anything.

"_No... Don't do it. Don't do it."_ Resavolar said into the Red Shroud's mind. He then saw that it was not going to end here. The Red Shroud had an ultimate power, was secretly on the right side and could do it... but he did not.

"Take them away." He ordered instead. Drenacle and the others were happy about his order but then were not. The Red Shroud's soldiers grabbed them and took them down to the dungeons where they had been so many times before. Before they were out of his sight, Resavolar looked over at the guard and the three Red Shroud soldiers. He quickly ordered for them to be brought back. The new captives of the Red Shroud wondered why they were being taken back. Then their question was answered.

"Where's General Hopnth?"

The group looked at each other with sad faces. The Red Shroud asked again, keeping his cool even though their silence meant the worst. The Red Shroud did not want to believe it, though he could not deny the utmost truth. The second Red Shroud soldier then spoke out for them.

"He was killed... These four had nothing to do with his death."

A gasp came from everyone in the room. They listened very closely for the next few minutes, hearing all the details.

"Is this true?" The Red Shroud asked. The Red Shroud soldiers behind Drenacle, Acret, Blaze and Resavolar all nodded their heads. The Red Shroud became enraged and taken aback. He demanded to be told what happened. Resavolar confidently told everyone in the room.

"He was shot by an arrow from one of the guards of the Mountain Pass." He finished. The Red Shroud looked back to his men and gave an angry look at them. He was so frustrated that he grabbed the crystal and held it up.

"What's he doing?" Drenacle asked, looking as terrified as the rest of them. The Red Shroud then put it down, took a couple of breaths and ordered for the four of them to be taken down to the dungeons. Before Resavolar was out of sight, he thought to the Red Shroud, _"The Evil One would be disappointed in you."_

He was out of sight and the Red Shroud was aware of it. He still trusted his own judgement though. That was enough to not allow his guilt for his actions to get to him. He had a choice and made it.

"_Anyone in the same situation as me would have done the same. It is not my destiny to end this war, let alone get rid of Grond and Onma." _The Red Shroud thought. Both Onma and Grond were speaking to each other and the Red Shroud's soldiers went back to what they were doing. The Red Shroud knew they knew what was going on and trusted that they were to be the only ones to take care of his new captives.

Resavolar was furious. He trusted the judgement of his friend and hoped that he would not go against the plan. It seemed like he was being betrayed around every turn. His mind that was once in control was beginning to fall apart.

"We almost had it! It's only a matter of time before he comes and it's over."

"Are you talking about Michael or this Lord Frostbite?"

"It's most likely both of them." Resavolar answered. Blaze and Drenacle looked over to him just as the cell door opened and the second Red Shroud soldier came in.

"Here you go." He said as he put a metal tray on the floor. It had food on it which began to confuse them.

"What's this?" Resavolar asked.

"What does it look like?" The second soldier answered briefly before walking out and closing the door again. The four of them heard the cell door lock. They were not going anywhere. Their sight went from the locked door to the metal tray. There was fresh meat, vegetables and goblets of water; enough for each of them. They dug into it; all except for Acret.

"Are you going to eat something Acret?" Blaze asked him.

"I'm not hungry."

"Look, you'll need your strength. Who knows what they've got planned for us next." Drenacle said, trying to convince him to have something to eat. Resavolar's confusion disappeared as he now knew what was going on.

"That's it!" He said aloud. The others froze in eating their hearts out and turned their attention to Resavolar. Once there was a long enough silence, signalling that he had them all looking at him, explained what he had just figured out.

"He's helping us behind Grond and Onma's backs, making it seem like he hates us to keep his cover."

They looked at him funny and thought he should eat something before he went crazy. Resavolar continued.

"The Red Shroud's soldiers who were with us know the truth. They have been providing us with this... this food and everything."

Some part of that made sense, but it was not enough to prove that he's prediction was correct. That would soon change. The door opened and Grond arrived, accompanied by Onma and the Red Shroud. The tray magically disappeared, along with the food in their mouths that they had not yet swallowed. He saw them all as they got to their feet. Grond and Onma walked to each side of the Red Shroud and stood silent.

"You are about to endure the worst pain in your entire life if you do not answer the following questions. How is it that you survived the dark shadow that covered you, how did Hopnth really die and how do you get that crystal to work?"

They all stayed silent. The Red Shroud knew this was good. He then thought something.

"_Resavolar, I have heard that Lord T.E.O is on his way and isn't far. He's with the Black Knight. I need you to make a move so I can go to the last measure where it will end. You know what Grond wants me to do and you know I won't."_

Resavolar was left confused in the large silence that passed through the room. Grond grew tired and the Red Shroud did what he must. He whispered something into Grond and Onma's ears and then walked out. Grond asked the first question.

"What are you doing back here?"

The four of them unexpected this question to arise and took a while to answer. Eventually Resavolar did.

"We are here to end your raging terror on this planet. Your threats won't last!"

He was silenced as the strangest thing happened. Grond pulled something out of his cloak that was impossible to even exist in that time... a laser pistol. Resavolar fell silent. Acret and Onma both wondered what thing he had in his hand. Grond then explained.

"My master has the ultimate power. Soon two worlds will collide and he will lead them both into darkness. The Evil One must be stopped before such an event happens."

They were taken aback and could not believe what Grond was saying.

"What do you mean two worlds will collide? The only reason we all ended up in this period of time was because your master killed us and the Evil One in the future." Drenacle replied. Grond pointed the pistol at him. Drenacle went quiet too. Grond ordered Onma to leave.

"... I will take it from here." He finished. Onma walked out and closed the door behind him. He turned back to them.

"Now, tell me. Why are you back for?" He asked again. What Resavolar and the others did not realise was that he was outnumbered one to four. Blaze then spoke.

"You don't realise it do you? No matter what happens to us, Lord T.E.O will end your reign of terror and peace will be brought back to these lands."

Grond pointed the gun at him next and like the other two, he also fell silent. Grond laughed as he was in control and no one could stop him. Acret looked at him with anger. The laughter of Grond angered him and he made a bold move. He got up, ran at Grond who shot him right in the chest, causing him to fall to the ground. Acret felt a strange electrocuted feeling as he lay there.

"What... The?"

"Next one kills." Grond warned. The other three each took a step back. Grond called two of the Red Shroud's men in. They carried the wounded Acret out of the cell and closed the door once more. Grond was alone with them again.

"What happens when your master has what he wants and doesn't need you anymore to do your dirty work for him?"

Grond laughed and was not offended by Resavolar's remark. He was doing a contract, hired by Lord Frostbite. There was no doubt in doing his dirty work.

"Well unlike you Sir Resavolar, he will let me live and I will stay by his side as he rule's this planet and soon the next. You don't get it do you? This planet means nothing to him. Soon he will be the first person to ever rule an entire galaxy. As soon as the Evil One is finished, it's over. His power will go to the victor, my master, and he will have the ultimate power."

"You saw what happened. When Lord T.E.O died the period of time changed. It will just happen again." Resavolar butted in.

"Oh contraire; my master knows how to stop that from happening again. That's how I got this. This gun that I guarantee will be the death of all of you." Grond replied in an evil tone. Their plan had worked. They had gotten everything out of him and believed they could get out and tell everyone else. But that thought soon changed.

"But why start with a rumour; a false accusation? You're master doesn't know that once one planet has been taken, others will retaliate. He's starting a war he can't win. The Evil One is just going to go there and end him and whoever has befriended him."

"Don't be too sure Drenacle. If that happens, I will be long gone." Grond replied, pointing the gun at him again.

"Now that you know the truth, I guess the last thing is to kill all of you."

"You can't. The Red Shroud wouldn't want you to!" Resavolar quickly said. Grond turned to him.

"And why not?" He asked. Resavolar thought of the first thing that came to mind.

"He's planning to use us as entertainment again."

Resavolar heard that and his only surprise was that it did not come from his mouth. It came from Blaze's.

"How do you know that?"

"I overheard him speaking to one of his men earlier."

Grond left immediately and closed the door behind him.

"That was weird." Drenacle said.

"Yeah, at least that bought us some time." Resavolar replied. He was right. Although they were correct about the Red Shroud using them, for the third time now, as entertainment for the subjects of his kingdom, this brought up a problem for the Red Shroud.

Grond met with the Red Shroud in the throne room. Syth was dancing around the room in front of the crowd as she was interrupted. Grond was not happy. He stood in front of the Red Shroud, turning his attention from Syth to Grond. The music had stopped and the audience turned their glares to Grond also. Syth was relieved that she was not gleamed upon.

"What are you planning that wasn't consulted with me first Red Shroud?"

"What are you talking about?" The Red Shroud asked him.

"The fact you are once again using them as entertainment. Is there anything you can come up with that will not involve entertainment? You never told me about this." Grond answered aggressively. The Red Shroud ignored his remark and hoped that would be the end of it. But it wasn't over that easily.

"Well. What is your next plan?"

The Red Shroud thought over it just as Grond spoke once more.

"I know what to do next."

He told the Red Shroud who deceivingly agreed. Though he thought, "_I hope that they can survive this one. The end will soon come and I can't do this anymore. Enough lives have been lost already."_ Grond moved aside and Syth was once again the centre of attention. The music started again and the day continued.

**Chapter XX**

**Accusations**

The next morning was quiet. The four prisoners stayed in the cell and not a thing shook within it. They were asleep, though they wondered what was going to happen to them. The third Red Shroud soldier came in with some food on a tray just like the second one had the day before. Acret was the first to wake up on the hard floor and got to his feet. The soldier put the tray on cell floor.

"Hey! Wake up!"

The other three that were still asleep got a fright and woke up straight away. They opened their eyes slowly and all looked at the soldier as he walked back out the door again. The next thing they noticed was the food and ate it quickly. There was a note on the tray, a note that the four of them did not notice. They just stuffed themselves with the food until it had all gone.

"See I told you so." Resavolar said, finishing a large piece of freshly cooked meat. He looked down and noticed the note. Acret saw it as well and grabbed it before Resavolar got the chance. He opened it and read it aloud.

"The final test is upon you four. This is a warning. After you read this, this note will burn up so only you four know that I am sorry and no one will know that I'm helping you. You will be taken to the Southern Sea and will be forced to face the Monster of the Depths."

Everyone else began to worry. This warning was good and bad. They knew what they were up against but were not sure how they were going to defeat it.

"How do we get around this? If it's true that the Evil One is almost on his way, then we need to beat this."

"Avoid it and we'll be fine Res."

"And what if that doesn't work? Hopnth killed himself over all of this. What if-"

Resavolar fell silent as the cell door opened again and the third Red Shroud soldier returned.

"You know what you're up against. The Red Shroud believes that you can get through it. Play your cards right this time around and victory will be yours. The Red Shroud's words, not mine."

He walked out again and left them to figure out what they were going to do.

"Come on guys, we need to get through this and concentrate on what really matters."

"And what is that Drenacle? We are running out of time. Don't you get it? If we do survive this, it won't end there. The Red Shroud may be on our side but he's under the fear of Yeko Grond. As long as he's here, we're not getting out with Syth and the girls."

"Meaning what exactly?" Acret asked.

"Meaning we need to figure out a way to get rid of Grond before we can-"

"Wait! You won't be able to. You heard him. If we are victorious he will just get away unharmed. He's a coward for god sakes." Blaze interrupted. His remark was interesting and this created a very spontaneous plan.

In the throne room, the Red Shroud had Syth entertain the crowd just as Liam went up and whispered something into his ear. Syth stopped dancing and was ordered to join the Red Shroud on his couch as usual again. Everyone fell silent and Grond became concerned again. He thought there was some plan taking place and asked the Red Shroud why he called his personal servant back.

"Bring the four prisoners here." The Red Shroud ordered, ignoring Grond's question. The first and second Red Shroud soldiers left the throne room with Liam. Grond's concern and worry slowly rose. He felt that he was no longer in control. He wondered if the Red Shroud was about to tell them what they were going to be up against next or if Resavolar was going to try to foolishly 'reason' with him again. Not long after, Liam had returned and the answer to Grond's question would soon be answered. Acret was happy to see that Syth did not look worse, but she still did look miserable.

"What is this about a spy among us helping you?"

Grond's intrigued look turned to happiness. The Red Shroud waited for one of them to answer. Resavolar suddenly realised what the Red Shroud was doing. This was the break they had been after.

"Onma Scorph! He told us that we're up against the Monster of the Depths in the Southern Sea."

The crowd fell silent and Grond was left amazed. Was he fooled by Onma in believing he too was on Grond and Lord Frostbite's side? All this went through his head as he watched what was happening. The first and second Red Shroud soldiers grabbed Onma and brought him forth in front of everyone.

"Is this true?"

Onma looked fearful and Resavolar and the others hoped this would end it all. They all still feared what they were going to be up against. Onma looked up at the Red Shroud, over at the captives, then lastly over at Grond.

"Yeko Grond helped me. He wants them to defeat you! He threatened me if I didn't take part." Onma yelled, feeling betrayed. He had made the Red Shroud's set up perfect. A smile of relief came across Resavolar's face but he quickly hid it as Grond was becoming frustrated and also betrayed. He turned to leave but was stopped by the third Red Shroud soldier who grabbed him and took him in front of everyone right next to Onma. He looked at Onma with anger and had no idea how this could have happened. He was in control. He had everything in place, and now he was losing. He gave Onma a sturdy look just as Onma did the same to him. They were both in trouble and this would most likely mean something that Resavolar hoped for... they would be freed and the tides would finally turn. The accusation continued.

"Whatever he is saying, I have nothing to do with being a part of 'helping' these prisoners. I'm only here to make sure they don't escape. You know I wouldn't betray your loyalty My Lord." Grond said. He thought of those words off the top of his head and hoped it would get him out of it. There was a little suspicion and Grond wondered if this set up had been pre-arranged. It was not mere coincidence but there was no way of proving such a hypothesis... yet. Onma still believed Grond had turned against him and was trying to get rid of him along with the other prisoners, hitting two birds with one stone. Then Resavolar once again made a very bold move.

"We know your master's plan to take over the world and leave it in darkness. Grond will overthrow you. That's why he's here."

The Red Shroud turned his attention to him and his eyes widened.

"Who told you about this?" The Red Shroud asked.

"Onma came to see us. He told us after he heard Grond's true motives himself!" Blaze shouted.

"That's a lie My Lord! I haven't been there since you left us and Grond's a witness to that. Ask him yourself if you don't believe me."

Grond was once again unhappy that the accusations were put back on him. He felt like he was losing power over all of this and would have to get out before things got too hot. Blaze saw the worry and small fear in him. They had Grond where they wanted him. Grond then made a choice.

"I was aware that Onma didn't tell them. I-"

"You told them! How else would they know!? My Lord; who was the one who came up with the idea to feed them to the Monster of the Depths? Yeko Grond."

The audience began to talk amongst each other. This made some sort of sense. The Red Shroud looked to Grond who was becoming very worried now.

"My Lord, you know I would never go against those orders and yes I did come up with that idea, but that doesn't mean a thing."

The Red Shroud stayed silent. He was beginning to like this a lot. Grond was becoming speechless and the Red Shroud hoped that this would tighten his tongue. He had enough of being ordered around like he had for so long now since Grond's arrival in his throne room. There was just one small problem though. Grond began to threaten the Red Shroud.

"If you do get rid of me, it will be the last thing you ever do. My master will not hear from me and I assure you, your regret will come back to haunt you."

The guards grabbed his arms tight. The Red Shroud began to fear Grond's very words and wondered if he was serious. Grond gave him a stern look and he had finally come back out of the darkness... so he thought.

"Let him go..."

The guards let go of Grond and he went back to his place on the outside of the circle of the audience. The Red Shroud then ordered for Resavolar and the others to be taken back down to the dungeons. The guards carried them back down and Drenacle's hope; along with the other threes hope, began to fade. The Red Shroud watched them being taken back out and thought to Resavolar, "_I'm sorry_."

Back in the dungeon cell, Resavolar wondered how the Red Shroud was going to save them this time around. Drenacle saw that he was deep in thought. He broke Resavolar's concentration.

"What are you thinking about Resavolar?"

Resavolar stared back at him with an unsure look.

"The end will soon come... He's waiting for Michael to turn up! He's wasting time we need!"

"What do you mean? We can't rely on him Res. He has abandoned us... and for what? Just so his kingdom lives in peace? You need to not trust him and trust your own faith. We need a plan and one that can get us through our final end."

"Acret; if you had a choice, any choice at all. You would think about the safety of your kingdom before your own friends. We are just four people he knows and partially cares about-"

"No I wouldn't!" Acret remarked. He was mostly annoyed. He looked away from Resavolar and fell silent. Blaze then shared his feelings.

"I understand. A kingdom is big. Us four are-"

"Are worth nothing..." Acret finished for Blaze, interrupting him and going quiet again. Blaze corrected him.

"As I was about to say, us four are important in ending all of this. Maybe he will do the right thing when the time comes. I remember something Michael said, _'Fate always times everything."_

"Meaning what exactly? Our fates are about to take place. It's impossible to defeat a monster the lives in the sea. That's what we are up against right?" Acret asked. Resavolar was the first to answer.

"Yes. Guys, we need to get through this. Yes, we don't have much of a chance of getting out of this alive, but I know that faith can be a gift. It just takes time-"

"And that's what we don't have. It's only a matter of time... does the Red Shroud know that Syth is-"

He was interrupted. The cell door opened again and the third Red Shroud soldier walked in with nothing but himself.

"He knows and Grond doesn't Acret. We let him know about that and he is going easier on her... I think."

"What do you mean you think?"

"Well, she was taken prisoner for infiltration and that is an offence in itself against the Red Shroud himself. He wasn't planning on getting rid of her anytime soon anyway."

Acret ran up and grabbed the third Red Shroud soldier and held him up against the wall next to the open doorway.

"What are you saying?" Acret whispered.

"I mean it was her fault for the mess she is in now. Obviously you have never heard of cause and effect-"

"Or karma." Resavolar added. Acret looked at him and did not look too happy either. The room went quiet. The other two Red Shroud men broke Acret's grip on the third Red Shroud soldier. He walked out and the cell door was closed again. None of them said a thing to one another for a while. Acret's anger was still high and anything could make it worse.

Back up at the Red Shroud's throne room, the third soldier returned to the room. He went up to the Red Shroud and whispered something in his ear. Grond stared at them from the other side of the room and saw an intrigued look on the Red Shroud's face as he said, "Okay then. Thank you."

The third soldier left the room again and Grond's suspicion resurfaced. He did not ignore his judgement this time, especially after what happened to him earlier, and made sure he kept control. He knew that if he took his mind off of it for even a second, he could risk losing everything yet again. The Red Shroud got down from his couch and called Grond over to him. Grond followed the Red Shroud down a secret corridor behind the Red Shroud's couch. From there, they spoke.

"You know they are planning something. I feel it too."

Grond looked at him with confusion as they continued to walk down the corridor.

"Excuse me?"

The Red Shroud stopped in front of him, forcing him to stop as well.

"When will Lord Frostbite get here? I'm not sure how to say this, but I feel you won't last long. The Evil One is on his way and he will defeat anyone who has turned against him. Have you ever heard of the Kilsoloph?"

Grond's eyes widened. He gathered his words before being able to reply.

"Yes I have. Why do you ask?"

The Red Shroud turned around again and continued walking as he explained.

"Because, many rumours have told that this Lord Frostbite has her prisoner."

He stopped again before finishing.

"She will be the reason for the hell that is about to be unleashed upon this world."

Grond could not believe what he was hearing. There was no way Adma was the Kilsoloph. And what was the Kilsoloph? He looked back in amazement.

"And you're telling me this why exactly?"

"Because, we have to save her from him and from the end." Someone answered. Grond looked and saw Resavolar with Acret, Blaze and Drenacle by his side up ahead from him and the Red Shroud.

"What is this?"

"It's over Grond. Lord Frostbite's reign of terror along with your part-taking in all of this is coming to an end." Blaze said. Grond looked at the Red Shroud who also looked amazed at the event that was taking place. It did not make sense to him. His thought of the Red Shroud being in on it had been changed.

"How did you escape?"

"We had someone on the inside. This is over. Grond; lets end this."

Grond was left both surprised and speechless. Resavolar's plan had gone perfectly until he choked on thinking it was over. He took a couple of steps forward. So did Grond. They were about to fight each other until someone grabbed Resavolar's arms. He looked behind him and saw that it was over for them. The Red Shroud's men had grabbed the other three as well. He looked over at Grond who had a giant grin on his smug little mouth. He shrugged his shoulders. The Red Shroud ordered two things.

"Take them down to their cell."

They both watched and as soon as Resavolar and the others were taken out of sight, the Red Shroud said to Grond, "It is time."

They returned to the throne room as the Red Shroud thought of how much he would regret everything he had done right up to this point. He knew what he was waiting for, yet understood why Resavolar wanted to get out so much. The time was not right though. His gut feeling told him so.

"They are fools for trying to escape and catch me red handed. I seriously thought you were on their side Red Shroud. I'm sorry-"

"Don't worry about it. I knew you'd think that I was on their side. To tell you the truth, I can't wait for the Evil One to fall into your trap and this can all be over."

Grond was the same. If his plan went perfectly, it would be too easy.

**Chapter XXI**

**Patience**

Resavolar had no idea what he had gotten them all into. Was it his fault for trusting the Red Shroud whom he thought would do anything to make sure nothing happened to them? The one who would end it before the end of them came first? He wondered about his judgement and if he had fallen into the trap set by the Red Shroud and Grond. It seemed like Grond had done the worst and turned the Red Shroud's mind in circles, against him and what he truly believed. Grond, standing there with that grin of victory on his face; it made Resavolar's anger return every time he thought back to that memory. Acret was not happy with him either and he began to know the truth. His original thoughts of Resavolar returned again.

"_He can't be trusted. The end of our lives has come all because of him."_ He thought frustratingly. He looked over at Resavolar who knew he was becoming un-liked by all of them. He had thought it over in his head and his mad choices may have been the reason for all of this. He kept having it return. It only made him angrier. Finally, decided to speak out.

"Look. I know it doesn't matter anymore. Every choice I have made-"

"Every stupid choice we thought you were right about has made everything worse Resavolar! You are the very reason why we're here." Acret argued back, disallowing Resavolar finish. He was beginning to despise him.

"No he's not!" Drenacle yelled, sticking up for Resavolar while shutting Acret up once and for all. The room went quiet and after a few seconds of silence, Drenacle talked again in a calm voice.

"We may be in the worst situation where the end for us may come. We know what we're up against and that's all that matters. Whatever the Red Shroud is planning, we still have hope of getting out of this in one piece."

Everyone strongly agreed on his every word.

"He's waiting for Michael to turn up. As soon as he does, this will all be over." Resavolar said. Acret did not agree to it though.

"Then where is he? If the Red Shroud is waiting for him, then why is it that he's not here?"

The room went silent again and they all wondered the same thing. All they knew was that the Evil One would be the only one to bring sense to the Red Shroud and be strong enough to defeat Grond at his own game of terror over Flarsheroth.

"Grond would be powerless against him. We've all seen that Michael can take on more than anyone." Blaze said in confidence.

"Meaning what exactly? What if the one thing we are waiting for comes too late and it's over. Hopnth died, good riddens, but we're next." Acret said next. He was right. He, Drenacle and Blaze went into conversation and planned how they were going to defeat the Monster of the Depths. There was one problem with planning for their fight against the Monster of the Depths they had no idea what it was. Resavolar stopped paying attention. He thought back to the memory of Hopnth's death. The memory traumatised him but he still remembered back, trying to figure something out. It was overwhelming that Hopnth; such a strong fighter, got himself killed over something everyone knew would end in victory. His train of thought was distracted when he heard Blazes voice call him.

"Res; what are you thinking about?"

He hesitated by surprise before answering, "Nothing."

The other three went back to their conversation as he turned and looked out the only cell window in the room. It was perched in the middle of the back wall. There were bars over it so they could not escape through it. That was unfortunate. Resavolar wanted to get out. He was distracted again as something to his amazement happened.

"What do you think about that Resavolar?" Blaze asked him.

"Excuse me?"

"The plan on taking down the Monster of the depths..."

"It's a serpent... very dangerous. The only way to defeat it is to fight it on land." Resavolar replied. The others were left stunned. Resavolar had not realised what they were surprised about, not noticing what information he had just provided. Acret did not believe him though Drenacle and Blaze both did.

"Did you just know what you said?" Blaze asked him.

"No." Resavolar replied briefly. Drenacle answered him this time.

"You told us what the Monster of the Depths is."

Resavolar gave the same look. He had not even realised it. Blaze went on with the information he had, changing the subject.

"The Southern Sea is in the middle of the ocean. That's miles from land." Blaze said, bringing up something they had not thought of. This created a silence and their plan had to be thought over once again. The conversation was interrupted. Grond opened the door and came in with all three Red Shroud soldiers and Onma.

"What's going on?" Acret asked first. None of them said anything. The soldiers drew small woollen bags which were put over each of their heads. Resavolar knew this was it. They had finally lost. None of them could see anything. They could only hear Grond's voice.

"You know where to take them. Hopnth would've been the one to do this. Don't fail where he did." They heard Onma say. They could tell from that of who they were talking to.

"I know how much these guys mean to you. I promise you will be satisfied when this is over." Onma replied. They heard Grond leave and Onma led the Red Shroud's soldiers while they escorted the prisoners outside and down to the docks. They were taken through the streets of Flarsheroth, unknown to where they were. On the upside, they knew where they were being taken. Resavolar smelt the air of hot lava. They were closing on the Flarsheroth docks. The next thing they knew, they were walking along the aluminium planks of the docks. Onma and the Red Shroud's men led them up a plank and onto a ship. They group could hear a lot of activity around them. This lasted just a few seconds. Before they knew it, they were taken down some stairs. The light of the sun slowly disappeared and put in a type of dark brig. They were pushed to the ground and pushed onto the hard ground.

"That was too easy." Onma said. Resavolar heard them walk out and the brig door was closed. They were left there for the time being. Resavolar ripped the dirty bag off of his head and looked around in the darkness. The only light in there was the light through the cracks of the ships walls. He looked through one of the holes and saw a crew of Red Shroud soldiers walking onto the boat. Then he saw Grond.

"Are they on board?"

"Yes. His master will be leaving soon right?"

Resavolar just saw Grond in the distance who nodded at Onma before walking off. His concentration was broken as someone tapped him on the shoulder from behind. He jumped and turned around.

"What's going on?" Blaze asked him in a whisper. Resavolar froze for a bit from the scare. Blaze was just waiting for an answer.

"Res?" He asked.

"Yeah, ah, he said the Red Shroud is leaving soon."

He could just see Blaze's reaction of annoyance and sadness in his face. Acret and Drenacle were still quiet and had not said a thing.

"What do we do then?"

"We see this one through Res. We know what the Red Shroud has planned which means we can be one step ahead of him." Drenacle whispered. The kept their voices low, making sure they were not heard. Blaze and Resavolar looked over at him. They could just see the outline of his body as he stared back at them in the half darkness. The sun was up and it was almost day break. This made their sight easier as the sun glared through the cracks in the brig walls.

About half an hour had passed and things finally got interesting. Grond had returned onto the docks with Onma and they were in the perfect spot to be eavesdropped on. Resavolar went near the wall and listened in again. Unluckily he caught the end of their conversation as Onma got on the boat they were in and it began to take off along the lava ocean. Down in the brig, it got very hot. The brig heated up fast from the hot lava waves. It took a while for Resavolar to realise they were leaving the docks until he saw Grond moving further away from the boat and was not moving a muscle. Grond watched them being taken and everything became clear.

_"It's only a matter of time."_ Resavolar's thought to himself, beginning to sweat a little from the heat. Acret went to his side. Unlike Resavolar, he, like Drenacle and Blaze, was used to the heat and his DNA made him able to withstand the heat. He mentioned this to Resavolar before adding, "I know we'll get through this. I have faith it won't end like this."

His words amazed Resavolar and the others.

"What's gotten into you?" Drenacle asked him. Acret turned and left Resavolar's side as he answered Drenacle.

"Nothing at all Drenacle... I just believe in fate. Remember what Black Fire said. We will be there at the end, by the Evil One's side as he kills that man who ruined his life and began this hell."

None of them could believe what he was saying. It was like Acret was a different person; a better one at that.

"Seriously, what's with you?" Blaze asked him.

"I've finally gone to the furthest lengths and believe in hope. You got a problem with that?"

They all shook their heads.

"Good." Acret finished. His confidence made no sense to any of them. What Acret truly meant was that he was desperate not to lose hope in this being the end for all of them. He had finally been partially reunited with his daughter. He had a lot to still live for and would not give up on it now. Above them on the top deck, Onma stood at the stern of the transport ship. He looked out at the lava ocean that went for miles. It was a wonderful sight to stare over, so he believed.

"_This is it. Finally the world will be rid of these betrayers and the Evil One will be next."_ He thought. The third Red Shroud soldier came up behind him.

"They are quiet. The time will come when it will all be over sir."

"Excellent. Make sure they're not planning anything and keep me posted on how they are doing."

"Sir?" The third Red Shroud soldier asked, a little confused.

"If they're planning anything, I want to know. You got that?" Onma answered.

"Yes sir." The third Red Shroud soldier said. He then left Onma to his thoughts and returned to the entrance of the brig.

"Peace will be restored and these lands will be safe once again." Onma said to himself in an undertone. He then returned to his cabin, walking past the crew of the Red Shroud's men working on keeping the ship on course to the Southern Sea.

"_Everything's perfect. It's only a matter of time Onma... only a matter of time."_

He got to his cabin and closed the door behind him. The sea was calm and the weather was clear for the time being. This meant smooth sailing. He sat down in his chair at a large wooden table, picked up the feather quill that lay on the table, dipped it in ink and began writing a letter on a piece of parchment.

_Redempter_

_ It is smooth sailing. The prisoners are quiet and it will be a couple of days before we get to the Southern Sea. Also, about that thing that happened with the accusations. I am terribly sorry for putting the blame on you. These are stressful times. Please inform the Red Shroud that everything is fine and my wishes go to Hopnth's passing as he was a great and noble warrior that will be missed but remembered long after our time._

_ O. Scorph_

Once he had finished, he attached the note with a small piece of rope and wrapped it around the leg of a black crow that was perched on the nearby cupboard. It flew onto his arm as he walked over to the back door of his cabin and went out to the bow of the ship. It then took off from his arm and flew off into the distance.

"_I hope all of this deceit is worth it."_ He thought to himself. He then went back into his cabin, not knowing that he was being lied to by three trustworthy soldiers on the ship.

The third Red Shroud soldier was inside the brig with Resavolar and the others while the first and second soldiers still guarded the door outside. Little did Onma know; there was a certain reason why the Red Shroud specifically ordered them to be the only ones to 'take care of' his prisoners.

"The Red Shroud has a plan and he told me; and only me about it." The third Red Shroud soldier told them. "You need to trust him. Believe me; he won't let anything happen to you. Hopnth was close to him and he knows he did what he had to."

Resavolar closed his eyes in sadness. The soldier continued.

"Onma is the leader on this ship. He's in charge of every operation of this ship."

"So the plan is to take him out, take control of this ship, go to the Southern Sea, fight the monster of the Depths, get onto the Red Shroud's ship, finish Grond and get the Red Shroud back onto our side." Resavolar said, hoping he was right.

"No."

Resavolar looked back in surprise. "What?"

"You need to trust the Red Shroud on this one. He has a feeling the time will come. It's been two weeks since the Evil One should've got here and look, he isn't yet. Just stay patient. Your time will come when you will get to take your revenge on who wronged you so many times."

"What's he waiting for? We've been waiting for so long for this to end and yet every time we get the chance, he says, '_It's not time. I'm a coward who's afraid of having to fight a war-"_

"Shut up Acret!"

There was a short silence before Drenacle had them all looking at him and he spoke.

"The Red Shroud has put the safety of his kingdom in front of everything else. We have just ended up in the middle of the worst of it. To tell you the truth, he's made the right choice. This may be the beginning of the end."

"And what if it isn't? The Red Shroud's sitting around letting every possible terrible thing happen to us and all we have to do is endure it until the Red Shroud's saviour, the one we've been waiting for, to come and end it for us. I'm just saying but-"

"We have no choice. Look what's happened every time we've tried to end it. All that's happened is that we've just been stabbed in the back." Blaze interrupted Acret again.

"Settle down alright."

There was another short silence before the third soldier spoke again.

"I know you don't like his plan, but he has seen what this mysterious Lord Frostbite can do. Lafiraveind was attacked remember?"

"That was because of Pakolia being afraid of the 'false truth' being the truth. I'm just saying the Red Shroud should pay for what he has done. He's just as afraid of everyone else in this god damn place."

"Shut up Acret! Just because you care about no one but yourself and no one else in this world!" Resavolar said, fairly angered. The Red Shroud was still his friend. Acret had gone too far. Acret angrily walked up to Resavolar and put his face up to him.

"I may not care about any of you here seen that I haven't known you that long but that doesn't mean I'm heartless. There is one person on the Red Shroud's ship that I care about so you have no idea what you're talking about." He whispered to Resavolar. Drenacle went up and pushed them away from each other. Acret turned around and walked off to the other side of the small room.

"Look, I know this is getting to all of us but it doesn't mean we need to fight over it. The time will come. The Red Shroud promises that much."

"But when will that be, huh? We have gone through this for two weeks. This will end one way or the other and I hope so much that the Red Shroud is right, otherwise he will regret what will happen next." Resavolar said blandly. He was beginning to lose the hope he once had control over. Acret's words had gotten to him and as usual Acret could not keep his mouth shut.

"It's over. We're done for. This monster is massive, powerful, and deadly. There's a reason why it's still alive, no one can defeat it in its territory."

"Acret, can't you believe in hope. Has it all gone to your fat head?"

Resavolar had gone too far again and this time Acret could not take the insult lightly. He had no weapons on him but that did not stop him from walking up to Resavolar and punching him in the face. He got close, threw his fist at Resavolar but the soldier stopped him and pushed him away again.

"This is no time to fight and Resavolar keep your mouth shut. I know you're all desperate to get out and free, you just need to be patient." The third Red Shroud soldier repeated. That was becoming the most annoying thing. He was correct though, and soon they all had to see it. They still did not trust the Red Shroud's plan. They partly believed his choices were the best at these terrible times.

"Master T.E.O hasn't arrived and trusting in his arrival and not the strength of your kingdom and men-"

"You haven't seen what we have. Any resistance against him and its goodbye to the control over what you once had. Like Grond said, 'Lord Frostbite's taking over with fear of a lie'." Acret said. The third Red Shroud soldier was intrigued by this piece of information. He had never this heard before.

"If Michael turns up and the Red Shroud doesn't turn against Grond, then we will make our move then." Resavolar added. The sound of that was not promising. Resavolar had a feeling it would not come to that. He, like all the others, heard the Red Shroud would not back down. That was when it would end.

**Chapter XXII**

**The Fracrish**

The two day voyage slowly passed and the prisoners were growing tired of waiting when they could have done something by now. Luckily on the Red Shroud's orders, they were fed well and their strength was kept up. By noon of the second day, the heat inside the brig had cooled, meaning they had left the Southern Lava Ocean and entered the Southern Sea. Magically, the lava cooled so much it turned to water, easily showing the borders between the Ocean and Sea. Onma did not understand why, but Grond told him to trust the Red Shroud. That was the only thing keeping peace between the two groups. Finally by the fourth day, it had come. The third soldier came in again with a plate with meat and vegetables on it.

"Come, eat."

They did so without question and wondered why Onma was with this. It was never seen before when a leader treated his prisoners like this. It was a surprise that Onma had not been suspicious along the whole voyage. The four prisoners dug in and ate every last bit.

"Thank you. This is the best ever." Resavolar said, happy that they were not wrong about the Red Shroud backing down when they had the upper hand and the ultimate power.

"You're welcome. There's just one thing. Like you said; the Monster of The Depths is a serpent and no one can defeat it in its own territory, so how are you going to?" The third Red Shroud soldier asked them. They all looked at each other and thought the same thing. They had gone over the plan so many times but it sounded easier than it was going to actually be.

"How are we going to? I mean, we have three people with elemental powers, but fire is useless in water."

That had not been thought of and put their plan back to square one.

"What type of serpent is the Monster of the Depths?" Blaze asked Resavolar. It took a couple of seconds for him to realise the question was thrown at him.

"What?"

"You said what it was earlier. You know... somehow you know." Blaze answered.

"This serpent is a giant fish with a dragons head, and two tentacles that it uses as weapons that are connected to its head. It's impossible to kill and no one has ever been close to killing it." Resavolar said. Once again he blinked and stared at the others.

"What?" Resavolar repeated again, out of his own consciousness that he had provided dire information needed for an effective plan.

"It's that crystal. It has knowledge we know not." Drenacle said. He was about to say more but was stopped by a knock on the brig door. They all fell silent. The third Red Shroud soldier told them all to keep their mouths shut. He opened the door where and left the room, closing the door behind him. No one said a word for a couple of minutes.

"They're probably coming to take us to our execution." Acret said quietly. The plate on the ground disappeared out of thin air like it had in the dungeons back at Flarsheroth. They could just hear the third Red Shroud soldier's conversation with Onma.

"Have they been fed?"

"Yes, and they are in good shape. We have made sure of that. The Red Shroud will be happy with their final performance."

"Excellent. I hope it will be entertaining."

They waited to hear the third Red Shroud soldier and Onma to walk off before talking again; just to be sure they were not caught planning what they were going to do.

"What if we were to wait this one out and trust that-?"

"And what if the Red Shroud is wrong?"

Acret brought this up again and created an argument that would never disappear for good.

"Why do you keep worrying about that? We have the Red Shroud on our side and if he did not care about us, we would be starved, weak and unable to even think straight right now."

"Because Resavolar, even if all that is true, we are still being sent to our deaths and Grond is still here in control."

Acret had a point. Grond was in control of the whole situation and with that variable still in place, the likely chance of them surviving longer than the time they had left was thinning. It kept bothering them and it was impossible to forget what they were being taken towards.

"Michael needs to get here before we get to... oh no."

"What is it?" Acret asked Blaze straight away. He saw the sudden surprise in Blaze's eyes and realised Blaze's next words would not be promising.

"Michael is headed to Flarsheroth. We're headed to the Southern Sea."

"Yeah, so...? Wait, oh no!"

Resavolar had realised like the others of what worry had been brought up this time. Their confidence of surviving their next challenge had gone distraught. "This is over either way then." He said.

"I told you so. Look at that. We all listened to Resavolar and he got us into this mess."

"Hey! I had nothing to do with us ending up here in this situation. If anything, you made the choice to return and try to reason with the Red Shroud, without the leverage we originally had. You only-"

"That was your fault! You trusted that traitor and he got away in the first place!"

Resavolar froze before he said something out of line like he had before.

"Exactly... There is no way I could've been the one to cause this to happen. I just wanted-"

He was interrupted by the door being opened again. The third Red Shroud soldier returned. He had a big grin on his face. The others wondered why he did so. They thought in these stressful and almost 'dead of hope' times, he would not be as happy as he seemed.

"_Perhaps this is good news."_ Drenacle thought. That was the only reason he could think of that being why the third Red Shroud soldier was so happy. Yet some part of that thought did not feel right. The soldier walked up and joined them in their bunched circle.

"What's going on?" Blaze asked him.

"We're almost at the Southern Sea."

This was good news but not so good that they were happy and smiling over it. Something was not being said.

"Is that all? Is there any other good news you have?"

The soldier shook his head. Resavolar and the other's happiness turned to despair as they felt let down.

"That's all there is. The Evil One is smart not to send word that he is one his way to Flarsheroth. I heard you guys talking before. That is bad news. All the more you need to trust in faith. Who knows, you may be closer to the answer than you think."

They all gave him a confused look from his seemingly wise words.

"I'm just saying."

He walked out again, closed the brig door and for the hundredth time, left them to it.

Nightfall crept over and one promise the soldier told them made them wonder who could be trusted now that their end was inevitable. Resavolar lay on the ground, looking up at the roof, wondering what was going to happen. He felt betrayed and wondered if this was the end. His faith in being rescued in time had become prevented from a searing truth.

"Damn it Blaze. You and your sudden realisation turning this plan upside-down." He whispered to himself. The others had fallen asleep and he was still awake, unable to sleep due to the truth of that day being his last. He thought of his great life back on Earth, the journey to Firaciend and how much he wished he was back at Lafiraveind; safe, with no worries whatsoever. His memories were distracted as he saw through the corner of his eye, something sitting on the water in the distance. It looked to be some sort of boat. He closed his eyes and did not worry about it. He thought he was just seeing things, but soon it became more than that. As soon as he closed his eyes, he felt like he was in a dream. He was a bird on the top deck of the transport ship. Everything was quiet. He looked over to the unknown ship in the distance. He then took off, flying high into the air over the open water over to the unknown object he had seen before. Strangely, he landed on the crow's nest of a huge warship painted dark red with three giant sails; one at the front, one in the middle, and the last near the back of the ship. He looked around and saw that this ship was being run by the Red Shroud's men. He gasped in fright as a Red Shroud soldier waved his arms, making him flee back into the air where it was safer. He suddenly woke up with a scare. Drenacle saw him and asked him what was wrong. Resavolar looked back at him in surprise.

"It's, nothing... just a bad dream."

Drenacle rolled over and went back to sleep. As for Resavolar though, he could not sleep again, now that he was aware that they had made it to their destination and tomorrow would indeed be their last lived day on this planet. That dream though made no sense. The others were right. His exposure to the crystal was the cause of all this. It was even stranger how his spirit or whatever it was went into the mind and body of a bird rather than a fish. He went back to sleep and knew that it did not matter. Their luck was finished.

Early the next morning, Blaze woke up and looked around in the darkness. The sun had not risen and this was their chance to make a move that could save all of them. It was too risky though. Blaze knew that better than any of them. He removed that idea from his mind and wondered how long it would be until they got to the Southern Sea. Resavolar was the next to awaken. He saw Blaze sitting up. He thought it best not to break the news to him and pretended to still be asleep instead. Blaze looked around to see if anyone else was awake. When he realised they were not, he lied back down, though did not go back to sleep. There was no use.

"_Oh man. Why is it that we have come so far and this is it? I guess the Dragon Master wasn't as right as we believed him to be. There's no way in hell we will be fighting by T.E.O's side in the final battle. This was over before it even began. This whole world's tearing itself apart and we're innocently in the middle of the worst of it. How is this supposed to end?"_ He wondered. He tried to stay awake but eventually just fell back to sleep. Resavolar noticed him and knew that he was not aware that their death was only hours away. Then he saw it. The thing he saw in his dream; that is if it was just a dream. The sun came over the horizon of the calm Southern Sea and hit the red coloured warship.

"_It wasn't a dream!"_ He thought in amazement. Then he yelled, "It wasn't a dream!"

The other three woke with a fright and were not happy that Resavolar woke them up. Resavolar repeated himself in more of a quiet voice.

"It wasn't a dream."

"What wasn't a dream?"

Resavolar pointed through the crack where he saw the Red Shroud's warship waiting for them.

"That wasn't a dream. We're here. We're at the Southern Sea."

"He's right." Someone said from behind them. The brig door closed as the third Red Shroud soldier had joined their conversation. Just as he closed it behind him and was about to inform them, a knock came from the door.

"He's coming." One of the other Red Shroud soldier said from on the other side of the closed brig door.

"Then should you not be in here?" Blaze asked the third Red Shroud, remembering back to the last time he was warned about Onma coming to see them himself.

"No Blaze. I just woke you up."

"But you-"

"Yes I did... oh wait I didn't. Resavolar woke the whole ship up."

He looked over at Resavolar as did the other three. Resavolar tried to look innocent but he knew that he just got them into even more trouble.

"He's coming here because of me isn't he?"

The soldier looked unsure. The second knock came from the outside of the door; this time louder than the first.

"Look, I don't have much time. All I can say is that your time has come and it may be what you feared. I have not received any word about the Evil One having second thoughts or anything about him having a gut feeling that would lead him here."

"Have you heard from him at all though?" Resavolar asked anxiously.

"No but-"

The third knock came in three knocks and that meant their meeting would be ended... hopefully just for the time being. The soldier turned towards the door as it opened and the first and second Red Shroud soldier entered the brig, followed by Onma. He walked in a wondered why the third Red Shroud soldier was with them.

"Sir, I was just waking them up."

"I see." Onma replied. He then continued, "We're at the Southern Sea. I hope you have enough strength to entertain the crowd that awaits you."

He then turned toward the doorway, whispered something into the second Red Shroud soldier's ear before leaving the brig and closed the door again.

"What was that?" The third soldier asked the second soldier as soon as the coast was clear.

"He said he wants them taken out and up to the top deck blindfolded in about an hour at the least." The first soldier replied. The second was amazed how he knew that was exactly what Onma told him.

"I heard him myself. I am right next to you and he wanted me to hear as well, otherwise he would've said it more quietly."

The third soldier nodded in understanding what the order was. Acret was not sure about this. He could not stop forgetting that this could be the end and that would be it.

"What is he planning?" He asked.

"Don't worry about that. I'll leave you to it to make final adjustments on the plan while you still have time."

He walked out with the other two Red Shroud soldiers.

Over the final hour the four organised the final plan that they hoped would give them enough time to survive. Finally that time came and they were ready for the end. The three Red Shroud soldiers escorted them up to the top deck of the transport ship, with bags on their heads so they could not see what was going on. Once on top, the Red Shroud soldiers removed the bags, revealing their faces to the watching audience. The sunlight made their eyes blurry from being in darkness for so long, though their eyes readjusted within seconds. The Red Shroud's ship was closer to them as the audience cheered while standing at the edge of the port side of the Red Shroud's warship. Everyone could be seen except for the Red Shroud and the prisoners and servants of his. Acret looked up and down and wondered where Syth was. What they did not know was that she, along with the girls, Red Shroud and Liam were all in the cabin of the ship. It was replaced with the Red Shroud's throne room with windows on each side so they could all see the action from inside. Liam's voice came from the Red Shroud's ship.

"Welcome everyone to the execution of Drenacle Threon, Sir Resavolar, Acret and Blaze of Lafiraveind!"

The introduction was not as appealing. The thing Resavolar and the others had not realised at this point was that while the introduction had begun, everyone on the transport ship who were not sentenced got away and back onto the Red Shroud's warship. Liam continued in the meantime.

"You will have to survive against the Monster of the Depths; the deadly and fierce Fracrish!"

The crowd cheered louder and Resavolar and the others finally realised the others on the transport ship had abandoned them, leaving him, Blaze, Drenacle and Acret left on the transport ship.

"To win your freedom, you must kill this beast for good." Liam finished. This was even worse. It was impossible for them to do that. The Fracrish; a monster that they knew would only be defeated if it landed on the ship, would not be easy to defeat. The problem was the unknown factor of its actual size. They were stuck on a small ship and even if they did trap it on it, it may destroy the ship and they would be destroyed along with it.

"This should be interesting." Grond said on the Red Shroud's ship. He watched by the Red Shrouds side who was on his couch with Syth, faced toward the window. The girls were also there and served beverages to the audience who accompanied the Red Shroud in his cabin throne room only. They watched as they waited to see the end. Silence fell upon both ships. Resavolar and the other three did not like this. It was quiet... too quiet for their liking.

"You guys ready for this?" Drenacle asked. They had no idea that it would be harder than they first believed. The sea stayed calm and it was like they had been tricked. Still, they stood their ground as they knew things would not go this far and that would be it, unless it was the Red Shroud's plan.

"Come on!" Acret yelled, losing patience. Once he said that, a horn was blown from The Red Shroud's ship. Silence quickly returned immediately after. The audience was quiet as they waited. It was impossible. The thought of being tricked had come back again but they ignored it. The silence brought nothing but caution. Even Grond was beginning to wonder why nothing was happening, thinking the Red Shroud was up to something sneaky which he did not like at all.

"What are you waiting for? Why hasn't it come yet?"

"Just be patient Grond. It has been called and soon you will get to see what you've waited so long for." The Red Shroud replied. Onma and the three Red Shroud soldiers joined them in his throne room.

"Well done Onma."

"Thank you Red Shroud. You will be pleased with this entertainment as well."

A smile came across Grond's face as he saw the sea begin to stir.

"_Finally; the end of these four traitors has come._" He thought to himself.

Below, the four prisoners had noticed the sea stir but did not worry. The wind had lifted its pressure. It did not seem to be what they feared. Unluckily, this put their hopes of being safe up and caution down. Then it came. It got closer and knocked the transport ship around, making it rock from side to side. Resavolar fell over and they soon realised the blow of the horn was the summoning of the Fracrish.

"Where is it?" Blaze asked the others. They looked over the sides of the ship, trying to figure out where it was. The Fracrish knocked the ship again and Blaze almost fell off the side just as Drenacle grabbed him and pulled him to safety. The audience watched and cheered as they were impressed by this new entertainment. The action continued.

"It's under the ship!" Resavolar yelled. The others knew he was right. The Fracrish kept knocking the ship and soon they had enough. It was like it was just toying with them. Suddenly Resavolar could not take any more. He made a rash move that was not part of their plan. He ran to the starboard side of the ship and looked at the water, trying to see it. He looked so hard that after one more knock of the ship a shadow of a giant object came from under the boat and then disappeared again into the depths of the Southern Sea. The other three were too busy to realise that Resavolar was where he was. Resavolar waited to see it again. Drenacle, Blaze and Acret stayed near the centre of the ship, making sure none of them had the chance of being lost to the sea and the monster that closely occupied it at that time. Another knock and the toying from the Fracrish meant something more.

"We can't defeat it with just our hands! We need weapons!" Acret yelled. Drenacle and Blaze nodded in agreement and Acret headed back down to the lower deck where he knew the weapons were being kept on the ship. He went left; right, through one doorway and finally found something more daunting than just spears and swords hanging up on the wall in the armoury.

"Oh no; that's not good." He said as he stepped in water leaking out of the lower levels of the ship. On the top deck, the Fracrish had not attacked them and they were keeping their stance, ready for when it would strike again. Not long after, Drenacle began to wonder what was taking Acret so long to return.

"Acret; what are you doing down there!?" He yelled. He suddenly figured what was going on. It was impossible for Acret to carry all the weapons they needed at the same time. He ran down to the lower level to Acret's aid and found him in the armoury, close to the opposite side of the doorway.

"The ship's leaking. The Fracrish has been cracking the bottom of it. Help me out here!" Acret yelled over to him. Drenacle ran to his side through the shallow water that was slowly rising.

"Take these and come back straight after. We don't have much time." Acret said. He handed Drenacle a couple of swords and a shield he pulled off the wall. Drenacle nodded and left.

"_I hope this works and Lord T.E.O get's here soon_." Acret thought. Drenacle returned to the top deck and took the heavy weapons and shield over to the other two.

"What's going on? What's taking Acret so long?" Resavolar asked Drenacle.

"What do you think? I can't stay."

Drenacle went back down leaving Blaze and Resavolar confused. They each grabbed a sword each and left the one shield for they had elemental powers that they needed a free arm for. The Fracrish hit the bottom of the ship again. The ships walls were beginning to crack under the attacks. It also meant that the four of them were running out of time. The water in the armoury began to rise and Acret had no choice but to abandon it with only another two swords and another shield. He caught Drenacle halfway back up to the top deck.

"We'll need more than that!" Drenacle said.

"There's no time. It's filling up with water too fast!" Acret replied. They turned and headed back up to safety. The crowd still cheered as things were beginning to heat up. One more knock of the transport ship and the Fracrish's attacks damaged it so much the top deck had cracked through the centre. It began to make the ship almost break in two.

"Get away from the middle!" Resavolar yelled as he realised it first. They all jumped away from the middle and got closer to the bow where it was safer. It was quiet again and the four of them knew that meant the worst was to come. The front and back of the ship began to drift away from each other. The Fracrish went for the second part of its attack. Two huge tentacles came out of the water between the broken two-parted ship ends and whipped at them. They dodged each of its attacks until the tentacles returned back into the water moments later.

"What do you think it is doing?" Blaze asked. Then he realised one of them was missing. "Wait, where's Resavolar?"

Resavolar was not with any of them. The sea was quiet again just as a loud screech came from the water and Resavolar flew out through the air and crashed on the ship in front of them. Drenacle and Blaze got him to his feet.

"What did you do?"

"It's, big." Resavolar replied in a weak voice.

"Why did you go in there?"

"Stop asking him questions." Drenacle said. "Resavolar, don't you dare do anything that stupid like that ever again. It could've killed you."

"Luckily it didn't." Resavolar replied with a bit of a smirk on his face. He was very weak from being thrown out by the Fracrish. They put him down near the doorway of the captain's cabin and let him rest.

**Chapter XXIII**

**Interchangeable Tides**

It felt like this would be their last stand and that would be it, the end of everything they had believed in and fought so hard to achieve. Nothing was worth fighting for. The remaining three looked at each other with a look like none other and knew what each was thinking.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Drenacle asked them first. The other two nodded while Resavolar looked up at them, wondering what they were thinking of doing. They ignored the fact that Resavolar was there, so he asked them. Even after he did this he was still ignored.

"Come on guys. This isn't the time to be angry at me. I did what I believed I had to do."

"We're not mad at you Resavolar." Acret answered. "You just need to rest. We've got this handled."

Resavolar did not understand what they were talking about. He felt like they were annoyed at him going against the plan for the hundredth time, but if they tried what he had already tried, that would just be stupid, so he thought. He watched the three surviving individuals walk to the edge of the broken ship as they had a plan of their own. The audience watched as they wondered if this was the end and they had finally given up in the lost hope. The Red Shroud was intrigued most of all and Grond was so happy that it had finally come to this. Syth watched as her father was with them. Disappointment came across her face and she could not watch any more, afraid the next thing she would see would scar her for life. The girls were taken aback and could not believe that it had finally come to the end they never thought they would see.

"No, this can't be. It just can't." Becky said as she grouped up with the others.

"I know Becky. This can't be what is supposed to happen... It just can't." Lyn replied. Tears dropped out of her eyes. "I finally find someone as great as Andrew and then-"

She paused, realising those very words were not just in her head. They watched as the Fracrish returned for the final kill. Drenacle, Blaze and Acret were all ready for the final fight. Syth, the girls and the Red Shroud were all relieved to see that they were not going down without a fight. The three had their swords and shields ready for the end. They were going to make sure it was to be the end.

"You guys ready for this?" Drenacle asked them.

"Just in case we are out of our minds and this is the end, I just want you two to know it's been great fighting by your side." Acret said.

"That's good to know." Blaze said to himself so the other two did not hear him. Then it came. The giant tentacles rose back out of the water and flew freely in the air. The three watched them and stayed cautious while waiting for it to strike before retaliating. Resavolar lied back; weak as he was, and eventually closed his eyes as he rested. The tentacles flew through the air and did not do what Drenacle and the other two were waiting for it to do.

"What's it doing? Something is just not right guys."

He was right. It was like the Fracrish knew what they had planned and was not allowing their plan work as perfectly as they hoped it would. Their other thought was that the Red Shroud had stopped it from finishing the job. Drenacle brought this up.

"That's impossible Dren. No one has control of the Fracrish. We need to be cautious of this and not do anything stupid. Whatever it's waiting for, this isn't going as well as we planned." Blaze warned. They all stood there, waiting for the time to come. When it did not by the next couple of seconds, boredom began to hit them and the audience. Nothing interesting was happening and in this time, the girls, Syth and the Red Shroud were all relieved for now; though its suspense was making things tense for them still. Grond and Onma were not as happy. They were not impressed that the Fracrish was not ending things the way they were hoping it to.

"It should've ended by now for god sakes." Grond said.

"I agree friend. What do we do if the worst comes to terms?" Onma asked him. Grond took him out of the Red Shroud's throne area and down to the lower decks of the warship for a private conversation. The Red Shroud's gaze was taken from him, realising another plan was being conducted and instead was more interested as he watched the action. The entertainment got better a few minutes later. The Fracrish finally slammed its tentacles down on the ship, almost hitting Drenacle, Blaze and Acret. The three of them dodged its many swipes and slams and tried to come up with another plan. They were running out of ideas and knew what this beast was capable of. Suddenly something worked in their favour. The Fracrish's right tentacle came down and Acret slid under it and slit the bottom of its scaly underbelly. The tentacle retracted and a loud, high pitched, almost deafening screech hit them all. Everyone on the Red Shroud's ship including the Red Shroud himself put their hands over their ears until it eventually stopped seconds later. The tentacle retracted back into the water, leaving the left one, the only one left to worry about.

"What was that Acret?" Blaze asked him, sounding both amazed and impressed at the same time.

"I just did what I had to do. I'd say it's not over yet, so don't get your hopes up."

The Fracrish was not too happy about having its tentacle slashed which created more problems for Drenacle and the other two.

"I guess that's it."

"It's not-"

He was stopped as the ship was hit again; much harder this time. The Fracrish was using all its strength to take them down. They fell over on the ship and Resavolar opened his eye again. He looked over at them. He was not as weak as he had been but he still had not regained enough strength to help fight. The crowd did not take their eyes away from the opposing ship as they could not wait to see the three of them fall to the death of the Fracrish. Times were becoming desperate for the prisoners.

"If it damages this ship any more, it's over. We end up in the Southern Sea and that's it... say goodbye to all you knew." Blaze said as he began to give up. No matter how much they hated it, he was right. There was nothing more they could do. Times were grim and they had no choice but to surrender themselves to the Fracrish. Resavolar watched as he realised the others final exception of their whole fates.

"_No. No, you can't. Michael always said everything happens for a reason. This can't be the end."_ He thought, and then said straight after, "So that's it? This is how the great resistance of Resavolar, Blaze, Drenacle and Acret ends? With four of the most, most powerful and strongest soldiers ever, accepting something they had so long foreseen. I don't believe this is the end. If it was, the Fracrish would've killed me when it had the chance."

They turned to him with smiles on their faces.

"You're right Resavolar. This isn't the end of us. This is the end though. The end of the torture we have been put through." Drenacle began. He then yelled out, "You hear us Red Shroud! The end will come, and whether you like it or not. It's not the end for us. No Red Shroud, this ends now!"

He had good timing. As soon as he finished that sentence Grond and Onma had returned to see the final kill by the Fracrish. The girl's hope returned in Drenacle's words but soon changed to despair. The Fracrish jumped out of the water; its large rounded fish-like, dark brown body landing right on top the transport ship, forcing it to sink into the water. No one had ever seen such a beast. It was how the legend had foretold. The beasts body was of a fish with a long tail and fins on each side, yet its head resembled that of a dragon; short and fierce. Its giant beady red eyes stared the prisoners down as the ship sank into the abyss of the Southern Sea. The girls all dropped the plates they were carrying and ran to the edge of the ship to get a better view. It was over. The crowd cheered ecstatically as they saw the remains of the ship disappear into the Southern Sea. The Red Shroud soon realised that he had made a grave mistake.

"_I can't believe it. No. This isn't what was supposed to happen."_ He thought while he was very frustrated. He knew every choice he had made was a lie of the hope he waited to see come from the depths of hell that rose over the past two weeks. The sea stayed calm and the wonder from him, Syth and the girls returned. It did not feel right, like it was not supposed to happen the way it had. The crowd cheered overhead and the Red Shroud had no choice but to say that it was finished, though he did not want to.

"It's over... Head back to Flarsheroth." He said to one of Aba who had come along for the ride. He left immediately to inform the ship's captain who was just another one of the Red Shroud's guards. Syth had a couple of tears fall out of her eyes as she stared into the sea where a broken transport ship once existed with Drenacle, Resavolar, Acret and Blaze. The Red Shroud's ship began to turn and make course back for Flarsheroth just as the biggest surprise arrived. Another ship came into view in the distance along the horizon.

"My Lord; look!" The captain announced. The Red Shroud got down from his couch and made his way to the front of his throne room. Grond and Onma also looked at the same thing, amazed as much as the Red Shroud was.

"He's here." The Red Shroud said in a low voice. Grond and Onma could not believe it either.

"Sir; it's the Black Hunter!" The captain said. Grond's happiness in seeing the death of the troublesome prisoners disappeared. This was not his first encounter with the Black Knight. He turned back and returned to consult the Red Shroud. The girls were so happy to see that they had finally arrived. They were going to be saved after so long serving the Red Shroud. Onma turned to Grond and suddenly realised he had gone up to the Red Shroud and joined him, catching the end of their conversation.

"Do it. They have already declared war Red Shroud." Grond said. The Red Shroud knew who controlled that ship. He looked back at Grond.

"Don't tell me what I know is right. I don't want this to turn into a war unless it's absolutely necessary."

"But My Lord-"

He paused before he continued. "So what; you're just going to see if they strike, which is exactly what I know they will do, and give up? I know what he does. He catches his enemies off guard and strikes at the best moment even if you are no threat to him."

"Until we know what he wants, we won't do anything."

Grond did not like how this was going. The Red Shroud was listening to him no longer and the Black Hunter was drawing closer to the Red Shroud's ship. Soon it was close enough and the Red Shroud went to the starboard side to speak with the captain of the Black Hunter; the Black Knight. Soon both the Red Shroud and the Black Knight could see each other which began the questioning.

"What brings you to the Southern Sea Black Knight?" The Red Shroud asked first.

"I could ask you the same thing Red Shroud. You do know Flarsheroth is miles away from here."

"Of course I know that." The Red Shroud replied. While this questioning was going on, we had a couple of extra guests aboard the Black Hunter. I was the first to notice them and ran over immediately, but quietly so I did not attract too much attention.

"What are you guys doing here, and where are the girls?" I whispered to these new people. I had recognised two of them, yet the other two were unknown.

"They're on the Red Shroud's ship as his prisoners and servants Michael. We just survived the wrath of the Fracrish... It's gone now... luckily." One answered. I was amazed of what I had just heard and even more curious to see them out here boarding the Black Hunter.

"Oh Michael, by the way this is Acret. His daughter is Syth who unfortunately is the Red Shroud's personal servant." The third said. His voice sounded very familiar to me, but I did not worry about that at this very moment. Instead, I told them to head into the lower cabins where they would be safe. They snuck off downstairs and I went by the Black Knight's side. From there, I saw the girls just as I had been informed about. I listened as the questioning continued.

"We were here first so you have no right to ask what is going on." Grond yelled out, joining the questioning and speaking for the Red Shroud. The Black Knight noticed who he was and knew this was not good.

"What are you doing here?" The Black Knight asked him. Grond did not answer and directed the questioning back to him and the Red Shroud before I spoke instead.

"What are you doing with my friends?"

"What are you talking-?"

"Who are you to question the Red Shroud boy?" Grond interrupted the Red Shroud before he could finish.

"I'm Lord T.E.O." I answered in great confidence. The crowd gasped. I nodded at them all as they all stared back in amazement. Grond was amazed most of all.

"You..? You're the one everyone fears?" Grond asked sarcastically. He laughed as he could not believe what he was seeing. He believed the Black Knight was even more dangerous than me. The Black Knight turned the conversation around just as he saw Grond shake his head at him.

"What?"

"I asked you to do... you know, and you are on his side and do not do it, even for the price of 10,000?"

"Well I'm sorry. But I thought I made it clear in the first place-"

"You reconsidered though Black Knight. I figured you agreed you backstabbed-"

"That was only way to get you off my back." The Black Knight interrupted. Grond could not believe that one of the people he trusted most had turned against him in these times. He thought it would have been perfect for the Black Knight to align with him as they would work together in defeating the Evil One. He left from the Black Knight's sight and Onma followed which drew the questioning back between the Black Knight and the Red Shroud again.

"So back to what we were talking about; what are you doing here?" The Black Knight asked again. The Red Shroud decided to tell them the truth.

"I was getting rid of Resavolar, Blaze, Drenacle and Acret." The Red Shroud answered. "You're too late. It's over. Their bodies are at the bottom of the Southern Sea."

The Black Knight could not believe what he was hearing. He turned away and headed back to his cabin.

"Wait, what about the girls?" I asked the Black Knight, catching up to him. He walked past one of his men and ordered for an immediate attack.

"John, wait!" I called again. He stopped. "Don't do this. It's half true. They're alive and downstairs. Don't attack him."

"What do you mean Michael?"

I quietly told him which led him to withdraw the order of attack and returned to talk more with the Red Shroud who had not moved a muscle.

"I would like to make a request."

"I'm listening." The Red Shroud replied. The Black Knight continued.

"We make our way back to Flarsheroth and speak about current matters there."

He waited for the Red Shroud to reply as he saw him just nod in agreement. Once he had, he ordered for the Black Hunter to follow the Red Shroud's ship back to Flarsheroth.

Meanwhile, Yeko and Onma were down in the lower decks, figuring out what to do.

"We go with our second plan. Get this one and take her with us. This is getting out of hand Grond." Onma told him. Grond thought hard about it and finally agreed that it would be the best choice. He, Onma and one other individual got on a small boat and snuck away from the Red Shroud's ship into the mist of the late frosty afternoon. They escaped in the time of defeat. The end was far from complete and everyone knew that as they all say, "_Fate Always Times Everything."_

121


End file.
